Changing Our Future For the Better
by elusiveangel35
Summary: The Golden Trio and a lone Slytherin OC was sent somewhere when they met up in the RoR through the ways of someone. When they woke up they found themselves in an unknown place with the Founders and seven books which were written in the view of Harry Potter. Join them as they slowly unveil the truth and the reason for this event while healing and making bonds with one another.
1. Prologue: So It Begins

Prologue

Emerald eyes snapped open as another dream filled of a mysterious hallway plagued his mind. He groaned softly and absently rubbed the slightly inflamed scar on his forehead.

"You alright Harry?" A red head called out from the other bed. Ron Weasley looked at his best friend with a worried look while the boy merely waved his hand.

"I'm fine Ron." Harry Potter answered softly. There was that niggling feeling inside of him to go to the room of requirements. Even though he does not understand the reason why. "Why are you still awake anyway?"

"Couldn't sleep. I'm having this annoying feeling of wanting to go to the room of requirements." Ron said while standing up and both boys quietly went out of the room.

"Funny thing is I also have that feeling." Harry said as he followed his friend to the common room. The two were only a bit surprised when they saw the last part of their trio waiting there with a thoughtful look on her face.

You could never miss her bushy brown hair after all.

"Oh Harry, Ron, I have this feeling to-" However Ron cut her off.

"Go to the room of requirements. We have that feeling too." Ron said as Hermione Granger stood up and raised an eyebrow at them.

"Let me guess the two of you are planning on going." The answering smirks are enough to confirm her suspicion. She heaved a sigh and shook her head. "Let's just get going."

The two boys gaped at her while she felt the need to defend herself.

"What? I have a feeling that I can't convince you two to not go otherwise and your influences have penetrated me after the years of going with you two on rule breaking adventures." Hermione defended herself while the duo grinned at her in amusement.

"Of course you find a way to blame the two of us for that." Harry shook his head while chuckling before bringing out his invisibility cloak and they began their trek towards the room.

Imagine their shock when they realized that somebody else is in there. The room allowed them in and they were surprised to see a girl their  
age staring at the fire. Her bright green eyes were dazed and far seeing. However they noticed that the girl was wearing a green tie on her.

"A slytherin?" Ron forgot to keep his voice low and the girl was so surprised that she jumped up and brought out her wand to fire it on them. The trio jumped away from the spell and the girl finally realized that they were not trouble.

"Y-you guys are P-potter, Granger and Weasely... What are you three doing here at the dead of the night?" Her wand wavered but she still held it in her hand but it's not pointing at them anymore. "I made sure to tell the room not to let anyone in..."

"We should ask you the same. You're the first one here after all." Hermione raised an eyebrow as the girl winced and put her wand in her  
pocket.

"Can't we just pretend that we haven't seen each other? It's high time I return to bed anyway." The girl said while her eyes were pointed straight at them.

"You're Vladimir aren't you? You're the quiet Slytherin." Hermione inquired as she tilted her head to the side. The girl winced as her name was suddenly said.

"Please just call me Bea... Anyway, I should really get going now." The girl hastily tried to make her exit.

Keyword is TRIED.

Bea's eyes widened as she tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge. She tugged the door knob again but it still didn't open up.

"The door won't open!" Bea slightly panicked while Harry gently pushed her aside and frowned as he also tried all the spells that he knows.

"It really doesn't open." Harry murmured.

"You didn't try anything didn't you?" Ron asked the only Slytherin with narrowed eyes before yelping when Hermione smacked his head. "Ow! I was only being cautious!"

"You really have no tact don't you?" Hermione scolded the boy who scowled. She turned to the slightly shrinking away Slytherin. "Sorry for him. We know that you didn't do anything. The room of requirements is not something that can be messed with easily."

"It's alright." Bea softly said as she accepted the apology.

Hermione was thinking of a way to get them out when she oddly began to feel a bit sleepy. She yawned and saw that some of the others were also feeling the sudden bout of drowsiness. She tried to fight the obvious spell but whoever was causing it was obviously a powerful one.

"W-what... What is happening?" Harry weakly asked before he fell into a slump along with Bea and Ron. Hermione prayed with all her might that whoever is doing this hopefully does not mean them any harm.

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When Harry woke up next time he found himself in what seems to be the same place that they fell unconcious on. He saw the girl (Bea he remembered) curling up into herself as if awaiting some kind of blows... He frowned at that.

"It seems one of you are finally awake." He heard a drawl. He swiftly turned around with his wand on his hand and saw four quite familiar  
people in front of him.

One was a man with flaming red hair unlike Ron's ginger hair and a pair of kind brown eyes. However he saw the fierce power waiting to be let out should he try anything to hurt his loved ones.

The second was a woman with long raven hair and a pair of icy blue eyes filled with knowledge and wisdom. He had no doubt that this woman is as inquisitive as his bookworm friend.

The third one is a woman with short blonde hair and a pair of warm golden eyes. There is an air around her that makes you want to befriend her and the fact that if anyone tries to hurt her family and friends...

The last one is a man slightly leaner and shorter by an inch from the red haired man. However his aura is that of an aristocrat. The light silver eyes were filled with cunning and ice however every time it came into contact with his companions it warmed and softened a bit.

Harry would never forget who these people are. After all they were the ones who created his beloved home Hogwarts.

The four Founders.

Godric Gryffindor the brave and chivalrous man.

Rowena Ravenclaw a witty and wise woman.

Helga Hufflepuff a woman who never abandons her friends

Last but most especially not the least Salazar Slytherin the cunning and sly man

"You have got to be kidding me." Harry groaned. Sure a lot of crazy things happen in his life but to this point? Really?

"Who are you and how did you get into the castle?" Ravenclaw asked icily while maintaining her wand on him.

Harry shifted. He looked down at his feet and began to think of how to explain it. But then he thought maybe the founders will help them get back to their time if the way they are talking is an indication they went back to Hogwarts when it's only young.

"My name is Harry Potter and these are my companions." Harry gestured to the others. "I know that this will seem unbelievable but I hope you  
will listen to me to the end."

Harry began to explain from the beginning when they was going to the room and to the moment where they suddenly felt extremely drowsy and suddenly waking up in this time. He also mentioned that they lived in a far future where they were students in Hogwarts.

The Founders were quite silent at that before Slytherin suddenly spoke.

"I see... You do not seem to be lying." Slytherin bluntly said while slightly lowering his wand. Then began hovering what seems to be a bunch of books.

"Would you care to explain this?" Slytherin asked while Harry glanced at the titles and groaned.

**Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone**

"I don't have any idea about that. We just suddenly woke up here." Harry frowned. The Founders raised an eyebrow before nodding. Hermione and Ron stirred and finally woke up. They stared at ths Founders as if they were a ghost.

"W-what?" Ron stammered as he stared at the founders.

"How can this be?" Hermione whispered furiously. Her mind going overdrive before it stopped on one thing.

"We are in the past." Harry nodded.

"Yes." Hermione didn't seem to be listening.

"Somebody sent us to the past to when the founders are still alive." Hermione was pale.

"Calm down Hermione. I'm sure we'll get back... Somehow." Ron said.

A paper fluttered down and Godric snatched it out of the air and read it aloud.

**Dear Founders, Golden Trio and Bea****  
**  
**I am sure you are wondering why you are in the past. So many things have gone wrong in the future and it is my hope that we will be able to resolve it. Voldemort is going to become more powerful and I have a feeling that we will need a lot of power to be able to defeat him. The books will explain who he is to you Founders. It is my hope that you will be able to change the future. I will explain more once all the books have been read.****  
**  
**See you later.****  
**  
"It doesn't have a name." Hufflepuff commented. Ravenclaw raised an eyebrow at that.

"So if you were from Hogwarts... What are your houses?" Gryffindor asked curiously while the trio smiled.

"The three of us are in Gryffindor." Godric smiled proudly while glancing at the still asleep girl.

"How about her?" He asked. Hermione smiled slightly.

"She's from Slytherin." Said Founder slightly jumped at that before looking over to one of his snakes. He frowned slightly at what seemed to be a defensive pose before Hermione shook the girl awake gently.

The girl tensed before relaxing(this made Slytherin's eyes narrow even further) and waking up. She opened her bright green eyes and yawned slightly before blinking at all of them. He saw the founders and slightly blanched before looking at them in surprise.

"Aren't they the founders?" Harry nodded. Ron helped the girl up slightly surprised at the almost lack of weight on the girl.

"Blimey Vladimir, you're so light that it seems like you don't have any weight at all. Do you even eat?" Bea slightly tensed at that but quickly recovered. She smiled slightly.

"O-of course... I just don't eat too much that's all..." Bea whispered the last part but the founders and Harry whose sense of hearing is above average heard those words clearly and they were looking at the girl with slightly worried looks.

"A-anyway... W-why are we here?" Bea changed the subject which everyone noticed but they decided not to comment on it for now.

"We're supposed to read these books about my years in hogwarts and change the future." Harry said while Bea nodded.

Godric brought out the first book and grinned widely.

"I want to read first." Rowena raised an eyebrow at that.

"You want to read that's a first." Godric playfully glared at Rowena who smirked.

"I'm inclined to agree with her Godric." Salazar smirked at the glare his friend sent him.

"Oh shut it." Godric grumbled before reading the very first chapter. The hogwarts students were stifling their smiles along with Helga at the antics of the three.

**The Boy Who Lived**

"Oh great." Harry groaned.

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AN: Alright I know that this has got to be the hundredth time I have tried my hand in this kind of story. But hopefully this time I'll be able to finish all of the books and the main plot of the story which will be coming a long, long time after I finish the whole commentary story. I hope you guys will read this and give it a chance.

R&R please!

The-One-Who-Her-Readers-Shall-Kill-For-Making-A-New-Story-AGAIN


	2. Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived

Disclaimer: I forgot this in the Prologue so I'll put it here. I don't own and will never own Harry Potter because if I did I would have become richer and I wouldn't be making this story.

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Book 1 Chapter 1

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"Looks like we get to read about you mate." Ron smirked as he nudged his friend. Harry threw him a playful scowl.

"Shut up Ron." Harry said.

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"Normal is overrated." Godric commented.

"Who'd want to be normal anyway?" Salazar asked before shrugging. "Muggles."

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.****  
**  
"What nonsense?" Helga raised an eyebrow while Harry shrugged.

"Magic." He said while the founders raised an eyebrow at that.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"Drills?" Rowena raised an eyebrow at the future people.

"Muggles use it to create holes in stuff. Some of them are used to find precious gems in mines." Ron idly said. The other parts of the trio stared at him while he gently shoved them. "Oh shove off you two. I do know some stuff because of Dad."

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a ****v****ery large mustache.****  
**  
"Yep, that's dearest Uncle." Harry piped up whole the founders looked at him incredulously.

"Uncle?" Godric asked. Harry merely smiled at him pleasantly.

**Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.****  
**  
"Giraffe?" Bea blinked accidentally letting the word slip and she flushed trying to apologize but Harry waved her apologies off saying that what she said was on the spot.

It took a while for some to recover from laughter before they returned to the book.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.****  
**  
Harry and Ron snorted at that. The others looked at them but Harry merely shook his head.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret,****  
**  
"Pray tell what that secret may be?" Salazar raised an eyebrow as he drawled. "Perhaps you three are truly Giraffes and Whales in disguise."

The others couldn't help it. Salazar has a sharp tongue but sometimes his sharp tongue and sarcasm makes stuff funny. He glanced at the quiet girl and smirked triumphantly inside his head as he saw his little snake muffling her giggles.

The other Founders noticed what he was doing and they smiled at the Snake founder. He really adores his snakes as if they were his kids...

**and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.******

**They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.****  
**  
"The feeling is mutual." Harry sneered. The others looked at him in curiosity but Ron and Hermione patted his back comfortingly.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.****  
**  
"That's quite rude pretending you don't have a sister." Helga frowned at the book.

Harry glared at the book.

"As if she wanted a sister like you too." Harry growled in anger. "And thank god we're not like you."

"UnDursleyish isn't even a word." Rowena sneered. "It shows their mental capacity."

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.****  
**  
"I'm sure the Potters would be feeling the same." Salazar sneered at the thought of these muggles. Only a few pages in and he despised them  
already.

**/When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,****  
**  
"What the heck? Why would you choose the most boring tie?" Ron exclaimed before yelping in pain when Hermione slapped him at the back of his head reprimanding him for his language.

"I have to agree though... Why would you choose that?" Godric raised an eyebrow.

"Because it's the Dursleys." Harry smiled charmingly as if it was the most sensible answer. The others shook their heads in amusement before they returned to reading.

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.****  
**  
"What a terrible child!" Helga murmured as she shook her head.

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.****  
**  
"Muggles aren't so observant." Rowena shook her head.

"But it is good that they haven't noticed that." Salazar said as he tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "It is quite uncommon for muggles to use owls for sending messages."

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.****  
**  
"If I ever did that I wouldn't be able to sit straight for a few days." Ron winced. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"They have shoddy parenting skills." Godric nodded in agreement.

**"Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley****  
**  
"And he encourages it!" Helga exclaimed. Rowena sat the other female founder down.

"We know already Helga." Rowena tiredly said.

**as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.******

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map.****  
**  
"Is he going insane?" Salazar bluntly asked while the others burst into snickers.

"He's never had it from the beginning anyway." Harry said with a smirk.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of?****  
**  
"Easy, nothing." Hermione deadpanned. Harry and Ron looked at one another before mock crying.

"We have successfully corrupted her." Harry mock cried with a grin on his face.

"After all these years we have finally succeeded." Ron chuckled before the duo was smacked over the head. They both yelped in pain.

"That hurts Mione!" Hermione smirked at them but didn't reply.

"They both remind me of Salazar and Godric." Rowena commented. Helga nodded in agreement while said duo smirked at her.

"Say Sal, I have a bad feeling somethings' wrong with your little snake..." Helga whispered to Salazar whose eyes sharpened and he slightly nodded. Both founders were looking at the lone Slytherin at the corner of their eyes.

**It must have been a trick of the light.****  
**  
"What light makes you see a cat reading a map?" Rowena rolled her eyes.

"Idiot muggle." Salazar drawled.

**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; vats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.****  
**  
"What a boring mind." Godric shook his head.

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.****  
**  
"What is so odd about that? Even muggles from this time wears cloaks." Rowena asked the teenagers who looked at one another.

"It's because muggles don't really wear cloaks for every day life now Lady Ravenclaw. They only wear cloaks when it is winter and even then it is quite rare." Bea softly said while fidgeting uncomfortably when the everyone stared at her.

"Exactly as she said it." Hermione said and Godric took that as a sign to continue reading. The little snake looks uncomfortable at being stared at.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people!****  
**  
"That's because youth are more expressive on what they like. If their guardians or parents allow them to wear it then who are you to judge them for that?" Godric reprimanded the book. The other Founders and the teenagers, who hid their amused expression better, gave him an amused look. "What?"

"You do know that you are talking to a book right?" Salazar smirked at his friend who threw him a mock wounded look.

"Shut up Sal." Godric grumbled.

The future Hogwarts students were surprised at the interaction of the Founders. Salazar was different from how he was perceived in books and it came as a shock to them as to how he acts with Gryffindor who is said to be his mortal enemy.

**He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!**

Everyone rolled their eyes at the over reacting man.

"Why should he be worried about how other people dress anyway?" Ron said with a huff.

"Because he's an idiot." Harry said it with a straight face.

**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt – these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"Quite a one tracked mind he have doesn't he?" Salazar raised an eyebrow.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gaped open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead.**

"They're getting careless." Rowena bluntly said with Salazar and Hermione nodded.

"Come on, there must be a reason why they are being like this." Ron said which made the Founders look at him and raise an eyebrow.

"And what is that reason?" Salazar drawled while Ron rubbed the back of his head.

"You'll find out later on?" Ron sheepishly said while Salazar rolled an eye at him but gestured to Godric to continue reading.

**Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.**

"Why?" Rowena asked the students.

"Muggles consider owls as more of a bird which prefers night." Hermione answered as Rowena nodded.

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls**

"What are telephones?" Godric had a confused look on his face.

"Telephones are mostly the common communication technology which allows people to even call others at the other side of the world." The Founder's eyes brightened at the information as they thought of a way to create something similar to ease communication with their contacts.

**And shouted a bit more.**

"I've always wondered what he was doing at his work." Harry mused outloud.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs**

"The fat whale actually decided to do some exercise?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "That's new."

**And walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Of course, just to buy some food." Ron shook his head while Hermione and Harry had smirks on their faces.

"Just like you Ron, when it comes to food that's the only time he moves." Hermione stifled a giggle at her friend when he sent her a fake wounded look.

"That hurts 'Mione!" Ron mock gasped while the others chuckled.

"Ric's the same, the only way you can make him do something and get off his lazy arse is to threaten his food." Salazar shook his head with a fond look in his eyes.

"Oi! That isn't fair at all Sal!" Godric whined as his friend merely smirked at him. "Evil snake."

"Why thank you, Godric." Salazar drawled to the amusement of others. He gave a sly glance to his snakeling and smiled in his head when he saw her smiling slightly.

"Shut up." Godric grumbled.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed.**

"He's lucky none of those people are death eaters or one look could have been enough reason for them to kill him." Harry shook his head with a sigh.

**He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy.**

"Oh? It seems he does have a brain cell left no matter how miniscule it is." Rowena raised an eyebrow at the book as the others laughed at her comment.

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard—"**

"—**yes, their son, Harry – "**

Harry lost all the amusement he had in his eyes. The only thing left is sadness and pain. The other students were also quiet, even though Bea wasn't close with the trio she still knew the feeling of losing someone dear to you.

Ron gritted his teeth as his eyes flashed in sadness and anger. His brother in all but blood deserves happiness but because of Voldemort, he lost everything and he was left with those horrid muggles as well as the empty feeling of not knowing what a parent's love is.

Hermione wiped away the tears that came out. Harry doesn't deserve this, to have his thoughts read out loud and his privacy breached… When will Fate have enough of bringing him pain and suffering with remembering that sad day of losing his parents?

Bea closed her eyes as she heard the words being read. Even though she was a Slytherin she never really went to antagonize Potter and his crew. She's content with observing but even she knows that Potter doesn't deserve any of these happening to him. He's not a bad person and no child would want to remember how their parents died.

The Founders observed the students and frowned. Their eyes took on a weary look no child or teenager should have. Their eyes suited more of a battle weary soldier who has gone to so many wars and has seen a lot of things. The four adults exchanged glances. It seems that their visitors have more secrets than what they look like.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"It's just an expression Sal." Godric rolled his eyes when he saw the gleam in his friend's eyes.

"Doesn't mean I couldn't dream now could I?" Salazar shot back.

"Stop bickering you two idiots." Rowena looked at the two threateningly.

"Fine, but I'm not an idiot." Godric pouted.

"Stop pouting, it's disturbing." Rowena bluntly said which made the others laugh at Godrics' wounded look.

The Founders hid a smile when they noticed that some of the darkness left the teenager's eyes.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid.**

"Nothing new there." Ron snorted.

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name.**

"In the muggle world it isn't, but to the Magical world it is." Hermione said in her teacher tone.

"The name Potter is also an important name as it belongs to one of the oldest and most influential pureblood family, even if they are also known for mixing blood with muggleborns or half bloods. The Head holds the seats Potter and Gryffindor in the Wizengamot because they are one of the last direct bloodline to Godric Gryffindors', that's you sir, family." Bea suddenly spoke up. The others stared at her while she flushed in embarrassment.

"How did you know that Vladimir?" Harry asked curiously. There was no hint of maliciousness in there, only curiosity at finding out so much information about the hold of his family on the Magical world.

"Actually, most pureblood families teach their children about the other families so that we could make friends or allies with them. It's more of a political move actually. Dad taught us some of those stuff since the Weasley family also hold one seat in the Wizengamot. What Vladimir told us was some of the basic stuff about your family that is well known through the pureblood factions." Ron commented while Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "I do listen to some of them just in case I'd need the information someday you know?"

"Not that this isn't interesting perhaps we should continue with the story and talk about this later on. It seems that some of us are getting hungry." Helga looked at Ron whose stomach growled. Ron grinned sheepishly as the others chuckled.

"Could you tell me more about the Potter family, if you do know other information?" Harry whispered to the lone Slytherin who smiled shyly.

"I know some more but more on a bit of politics and some stories I heard." Bea softly said. Hermione's eyes brightened with curiosity.

"Could you also tell us more about the magical world and its customs? I've read some books but most of them are rather… biased and confusing." Hermione admitted. Bea looked thoughtful before nodding.

"I'd love to help you." Bea answered with a small bright smile.

The Founders were happy that their future students were getting along very well with each other.

**He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry.**

"He didn't even know your name?" Helga's eyes slightly hardened. "What kind of uncle would not know his nephew's name?"

"My uncle?" Harry suggested before grinning sheepishly at the narrowed eyes. "I think he knows my name now."

"You think?" Helga hissed angrily.

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

Helga was ranting unflattering stuff not for kiddies ears while those who heard whistled in wonder at the curses that would make the sailors blush and stutter like a shy, innocent person just being corrupted.

"Man, Hel, not even I know half of the words you're saying." Godric said with bright gleaming eyes before cowering at the fierce glare the golden eyed woman threw him.

"Did you say something Godric?" Helga sweetly asked while her eyes flashed. Godric shook his head vigorously while shrinking in fear. "Good boy."

"Coward." Salazar murmured softly to Godric who threw him a dirty look.

"Like you had the right to say something like that when also cowered before Helga when you interrupted her while mother flow visited us for a week." Godric threw back as both friends shivered in fear as they remembered that time. The female founders were smirking smugly and Godric finally returned to reading.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley, she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her – if he'd have a sister like that…**

"A sister like what Dursley?" Harry growled. "A sister like yours?"

"Harry's mum is better than your wife." Ron sneered angrily at the book.

**But all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon.**

"Aw poor whale, he couldn't concentrate." Bea mockingly said before slapping a hand to her mouth.

"It's alright Vladimir. It's fine to comment you know." Ron said to the girl who shrugged and looked down and mumbled something they couldn't hear. "What?"

"I said, it's fine to call me Bea. Vladimir is quite mouthful to say." Bea said loud enough for them to hear. The trio grinned.

"Then you also call us by our first names if we're calling you by yours." Hermione brightly said as Ron and Harry nodded in agreement. Bea gave a smile.

"Alright… Ron, Hermione, Harry." The trio's smile widened.

**And when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

"I pity the person who got run over by the whale." Harry shook his head while the others laughed. "How that person survived while being bowled over by him is a miracle."

"**Sorry." He grunted,**

"He knows that word?" Helga raised an eyebrow. "Miracles really do happen."

**As the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

"Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could he have said something like that in the open? That's just announcing that there is a secret society our therewhere magic and everything fiction exists!" Salazar yelled. Most of the people in the room were frowning and shaking their heads at the recklessness.

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle**

"He fit?" Godric raised an eyebrow. "How?

"The answer is simple Godric." Helga was smiling sweetly which made the man stare at her warily. The smile widened when she saw the look. "Magic."

Godric scowled while the others laughed at the put out look.

**And walked off.**

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

"That's such a sad, sad life… not approving of imagination." Bea softly commented while the Founder of her House smirked at her.

"What would you expect from someone who chooses the most boring tie snakeling?" Salazar teased the girl who chuckled at his comment while beaming at him.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw – and it didn't improve his mood – was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

"That must be Professor McGonagall. She's the only cat I'd know that would never move from a spot all day long." Ron declared while the others threw him amused looks although the Founders with a bit of confusion.

"Who is this McGonagall you are speaking of? From the title 'Professor' I would assume that she is your teacher?" Salazar asked the students who nodded.

"She is our Transfiguration teacher, a brilliant one, she made some of the spells she taught us in that class." Hermione was smiling widely as she talked about her favorite teacher.

"She's also the Head of Gryffindor." Harry beamed while he has a proud smile on his face.

Godric grinned at that.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one, it had the same marking around its eyes.**

"That must be her glasses." Ron said with a grin.

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

"That won't work. She'd only give you her stern look." Bea shook her head in amusement.

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"Told you." Bea chuckled. "That's the look she reserves for troublemakers."

"And you know this why?" Salazar raised an eyebrow at the girl who flushed bright red and looked down mumbling things.

"Busted." Ron grinned at the glare on the green eyed girl.

"Our adventures make her give us those looks. I don' know why she'd receive that look though." Harry said casually. Bea tried to look innocent but it failed against the Slytherin Founder.

"Let's continue on with the story now shall we?" Bea hastily said as she threw Godric a pitiful pleading look while said man took pity on her and continued reading before his friend interrogated one of their future student.

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").**

"Charming." Rowena sarcastically said.

"That's not the way to raise a child." Helga huffed angrily.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be anymore showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**

"**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire night early – it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**

"Careless idiots, they shouldn't be compromising our world because of their recklessness." Salazar shook his head in disgust.

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"If this idiot could figure it out then what about the smarter ones?" Rowena frowned in disapproval.

"I have to agree with Row. Why are our kin being reckless?" Everybody stared at Godric. "What?"

"If you forgot Godric, recklessness is the motto of your House." Salazar smirked at the indignant looks coming from the Gryffindors.

"Hey! We're not reckless!" The Gryffindors, except for Hermione who noticed that Salazar was maiming them and shook her head, shouted.

"Godric who decided to charge a dragon, a sleeping vicious one too, and kill it when we could have just relocated it to a different place in a safer way?" Helga teased her friend who grumbled.

The students were observing the way the Founders interacted with one another. It was just like how normal friends would act. It showed the teenagers that the Founders were also human just like them despite the way books described them as godlike.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er – Petunia, dear – you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

"Coward being afraid of something like that." Godric rolled his eyes.

"I don't know Godric, it reminded me of the way you cower or back off Rowena when the two of you are arguing with one another Ric."

"Shut up Sal. I do win at some of them."

"… Name one."

"…"

"Thought so."

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"Nobody should treat their family like that no matter the circumstances." Helga shook her head with a frown.

Harry just glowered at the book.

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny looking people in town today…"**

"**So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd."**

"Her crowd?" Salazar's eyes narrowed.

"Magical world." Harry shrugged.

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd hear the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare.**

"He's still a coward." Godric stubbornly said.

"Yes, yes, continue reading. It would take us forever if we comment on every little thing." Salazar heaved a sigh rolling his eyes at his friend.

**Instead, as casually as he could, "Their son – he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"**Harry, nasty common name, if you'd ask me."**

Everyone snorted.

"At least it's better than Dudley." Ron shot at the book.

"Easy there Ron, you're talking to a book." Harry teased the red haired boy who playfully scowled at him.

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

**Was he imagining things?**

"I thought he didn't approve of imagination?" Helga raised an eyebrow.

**Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out they were related to a pair of –**

"Incredible, ultimate, magnificent and handsomest and most beautiful family?" Harry joked his eyes lit up with glee.

Everybody burst into laughter at his words.

"Everybody is cool except for you mate. You're horrible." Ron teased while Harry playfully smacked him at the back of his head.

"Boys." Hermione heaved a sigh while the other females looked at her with sympathy.

"Hey!" All the males in the group gave them wounded looks.

**Well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potter were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on – he yawned and turned over – it couldn't affect them…**

"Ah… Murphy's law… Anything that could go wrong will always go wrong." Bea shook her head with a fond smile on her face.

"From what I remember Murphy's Law is a muggle saying." Hermione stared at Bea who grinned.

"Not everyone in Slytherin is prejudiced." Bea replied. "I'm quite interested in the Muggle world because of their technology. Some of our more curious Ravenclaw friends are trying to think of a way to get them to work at Hogwarts. Besides, my guardian is quite pro-muggle."

Hermione and Rowena's eyes were shining with curiosity while their friends sent them exasperated looks.

"Maybe you should continue reading before they bombard Bea with questions sir." Ron suggested to Godric who let out a bark of laughter before complying with his fellow red head.

**How very wrong he was.**

"How ominous." Harry shook his head.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed o the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beaerd, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"Headmaster Dumbledore, the old coot." Ron fondly said while shaking his head. Bea blinked and stared at him with avid curiosity. "What?"

"It's just that… you've always made known how much you adore the Headmaster. Most often than not, it seems like you'd jump off the tower if he orders you to do it." Bea admitted. Ron gave an uncharacteristic smirk.

"There are things… we hide from others quite well." Ron said with his sapphire eyes becoming icy. While Hermione and Harry also smirked secretively.

'I wonder… what else could they be hiding.' Bea thought along with the Founders. 'Then again…'

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

"I'm sure he did. Even if he seems odd to others he is quite the cunning and intelligent man. In fact, I believe he did that on purpose." Hermione chuckled.

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest lamp went out with a little pop. He clicked it again – the next lamp flickered into darkness.**

"Awesome." Godric and Ron grinned eagerly.

"The function of that item is quite intriguing. But I wonder if it has other secrets as well." Rowena mused out loud, her inquisitive look was being mirrored by Hermione ti the amusement of others.

**Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only light left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor Mcgonagall."**

"The Head of Gryffindor." The Gryffindor males and the Founder of it puffed up in pride while Hermione rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Your heads are bloating." Salazar lazily said as he threw a sly look at his student who caught it and smirked as well.

"You know… you guys look like cats puffing up its fur to look intimidating." Bea stifled a giggle at the half hearted glares.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled.**

"**How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"You're the only cat that sits still." Rowena said with her lips quirking up into a smile.

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no – even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent – I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"Exactly! There is a reason why we are kept a secret." Hermione huffed with Salazar and Rowena nodding in agreement.

"They do have a right to celebrate because the terrible era has ended although with many sacrifices." Bea tiredly said while rubbing her shoulders.

"Still…" Salazar heaved a sigh.

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at least, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?"**

"Only for a few years." Harry wearily said while rubbing his scar which drew attention from Rowena and Salazar whose eyes narrowed.

"Who is this… You-Know-Who?" Helga carefully asked while all the teenager's eyes darkened.

"If the book doesn't tell you, which I absolutely doubt, we will explain." Harry replied with a blank look on his face.

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"A what?" Helga blinked.

"It's a muggle sweet." Hermione answered.

"**A what?"**

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say even if You-Know-Who has gone –"**

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense – for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort."**

"Voldemort? What kind of mother would call her child that?" Godric paused as he stared at the book disbelievingly. "As in 'I know deem you thee as Voldemort for life' kind of name?"

The trio and Bea snorted in amusement at the way he said it.

"Well… if you look at Dudley's name…" Everyone paused before Harry chuckled. "But no, Voldemort isn't his true name."

"Then what is?" Bea asked the trio who grinned.

"You'll see." Was their reply.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself." Godric wisely said while everyone agreed. Bea smiled when the trios looked at her with a questioning glance.

"You're not afraid of his name?" Ron asked Bea who shook her head.

"Not really, my guardian taught me not to fear a name though the other did try to convince me not to at least mention it much." Bea's eyes brightened at the remembrance of her guardians. "How 'bout you two? From what I can remember Ron doesn't really like saying the name and Hermione is uncomfortable with it."

"I sat the two of them in a locked room not letting them out until they said his name a hundred times without stuttering." Harry gleefully said while his eyes gleamed with sadism. The duo winced at the memory.

"You're a sadist, Harry." Ron shook his head.

"**I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."**

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had power I will never have."**

"Only because he's too noble to use them." Harry shook his head with a smile although he remembered that said man had been ignoring him throughout the whole year for no apparent reason.

"**Only because you're too – well – noble to use them."**

"Huh." Harry blinked. "Weird."

"**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

"**What they're saying,' she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are – are – that they're – dead."**

Everybody took a moment of silence for the ones who have passed especially Harry's parents and the one who died before that night.

"Your parents are good people Harry. They really loved you very much if they outright fought one of the greatest Dark Lords just for you to live on." Bea softly told the raven haired boy who gave her a small smile in thanks.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

"**Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…" **

"Professor McGonagall must have been really fond of Mum and Dad." Harry murmured softly. "I wonder if she can tell me stories about them."

Ron and Hermione held his hands comfortingly.

"I'm sure she would love to tell you about them." Hermione whispered.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke – and that's why he's gone."**

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

"**It's – it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him.. but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"That's what we'd like to know too." Rowena softly said. "A Dark Lord defeated by a mere babe? How is that possible?"

"**We can only guess," said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"I'm sure we will by the end of these books." Godric gestured to the other books.

"This is going to take forever." Salazar heaved a sigh.

"What about our food and lodgings? As well as time since summer vacations are about to end soon we need to prepare the school?" Helga worriedly asked.

"You mean we aren't at some part of ancient Hogwarts?" The Founders shook their heads which worried the younger occupants.

"We retired for the day and when we woke up we are here in this place at the same manner as you have appeared." Rowena explained while her eyes were alarmed and wary.

"Now that you mention it how could we understand you? Our English is quite different from yours after all." Hermione but her lower lip as she began to think.

"Maybe we should finish this chapter first." Godric gestured at the book while everyone reluctantly complied.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?"**

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

"NO! They're dreadful people! You shouldn't leave someone, especially a magical child, at a family which despises magic! That's just asking for the making of another Dark Lord!" Helga exclaimed while Harry heaved a sigh.

"While I do agree with you Lady Helga, this is in the past. We cannot change it." Harry said while Helga heaved a sigh and gave the students a small smile.

"Just call me Helga or if you prefer Professor Helga if you are not too comfortable with informalities." Helga warmly said. The other Founders nodded in agreement.

"I believe all of us agree to be called that." Salazar drawled.

"Alright Professor Salazar." The students chorused.

"**You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore – you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son – I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"Thank you for trying Professor." Harry mumbled.

"**It's the best place for him," said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"A letter? How in Merlin's pants could you explain something like that in a letter?" Hermione scowled while the Founders agreed with her while their eyes slightly darkened.

"It would have been better if he explained it to them personally." Godric growled.

"Wait, what about Merlin, my student?" Salazar suddenly asked turning everyone's attention to him.

"Oh… He's not yet famous here and he really studied under the four of you?" Hermione had a delighted look.

"What Hermione means is that Merlin is quite a legendary wizard that everyone respects because of his power and wisdom. He's quite well known in different legends of knights and kings." Ron explained.

"I told you there's no need to worry about him. It looks like he matured with time as it seems." Helga told Salazar who had a wide smile on his face before he snorted.

"Not bloody likely. He'll never give up messing with others. His pranks and the trouble he gets into are troublesome." Salazar drawled but there was pride in his eyes.

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous – a legend – I would be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future – there will be books written about Harry – every child in our would will know his name!"**

"Unfortunately." Harry snarked. "Thank Merlin that Harry Potter day does not exist."

Everybody threw him an amused look.

"**Exactly," said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"Not if you leave him in a family that won't allow his head to swell up but also love and care for him properly." Helga snapped while the trio and Bea stared at her in surprise.

"Helga… has had a less than pleasant home life. Her family of muggles disliked her and neglected her." Salazar grimaced. "It's actually a surprise that she became a warm hearted and loving person except for situations like this."

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes – yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

"Ugh," Harry grimaced. "I don't even want to think about it."

Harry scowled at the others as they chuckled at his look.

"**Hagrid's bringing him."**

"**You think it – wise – to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I'd trust Hagrid with my life but not my secrets." Ron smiled at his friends.

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to – what was that?"**

"What was what?" Bea blinked while Godric chuckled.

"It's the book asking that question." Godric said while smiling as the girl blushed in embarrassment and grinned with a sheepish look.

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky – and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too bid to be allowed, and so wild – long tangles of bushy black hair and bear hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got it sir."**

The trio smiled at the mention of Harry's godfather however their smile faltered a bit as they realized that only a few hours later in the book Sirius will be carted off to Azkaban.

"**No problems, were there?"**

"**No, sir – house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

Harry flushed in embarrassment as the girls began cooing at how adorable he is although Bea was doing it more teasingly. Then he threw the males in the group an evil glare, as they were smirking at him evilly.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

Harry instinctively tried to get his hair to lie down and cover his scar. The Founders glanced at him curiously.

"**Is that where –?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

"I hate this scar." Harry grunted while Bea looked thoughtful.

"Have you ever tried hiding it through makeup? "Harry froze at the girl's suggestion. "Besides that scar makes it easier for your enemies to find you."

"Slytherins, you paranoid gits." Harry snorted at the smirks both Slytherins shot him. "I think I'll try your suggestion."

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"Ew." Ron made a face.

"London Underground?" Rowena asked Hermione.

"It's a place where people to catch a train which is a more advanced transportation technology compared to yours." Hermione explained while Rowena nodded with understanding.

**Well – give him here, Hagrid – we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

"**Could I – could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

"Now a word or I'll hex you all." Harry threatened as the smirks widened.

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "you'll wake the Muggles!"**

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it – Lily an' James dead – an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles – "**

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered,**

"Wow, Professor's really good at comforting people." Bea chuckled.

"Well, compared to what your Head would have done…" Ron hesitantly joked but grinned when Bea laughed.

"He would have Silenced poor Hagrid!" Bea shook her head with a grin.

**Parting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

"They left you on the front step in a cold night at November!" Hermione hissed angrily.

"I'm sure that he probably casted some warming spells and such on me before he left me there." Harry pointed out at Hermione who still looked furious.

"What I am worried about is what if the followers of the Dark Lord tried to take you?" Rowena was frowning.

"I think he would have made sure that Harry was safe when he left him on the front step that night. Dumbledore might be eccentric but he would never allow any child especially one of his friends to be in danger." Bea commented while everyone was still huffing. "In any case, this is the past, or in your case Professors a very, very far future, Harry is here alive and well although I wonder at the latter part."

"Hey!" Harry smacked Bea at the back of her head playfully.

"She got you there 'Ry." Ron was grinning.

"Traitor!" Harry laughed along with the others.

The Founders smiled at the antics of the four.

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall – Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

"Because I'm going to need that luck." Harry growled as his eyes narrowed angrily.

**A breeze ruffled the near hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…. He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices : "To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!"**

"A bloody well stupid name." Harry grumped while his fellow teenagers chuckled at his words.

"Language Harry," Helga chided.

"Well, that's the first chapter of the book." Godric heaved a sigh of relief as he closed the book.

A piece of paper fluttered down from the ceiling and Salazar caught it without even glancing.

"Ah, finally some explanations." Salazar murmured before reading it out loud.

_**Hey all,**_

_**About your questions earlier your lodgings will appear when all of you are finally tired, food is of no worry because they will appear anytime you want to. About time, you are in a place where time does not matter. When you went inside time stopped outside so you can take your time reading and relaxing in there. People will be joining you all sometime soon. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that I'll be sending two of your best friends Bea.**_

Bea looked delighted at that news as she grinned widely.

_**Anyway, congratulations for finishing the first chapter of the whole story! Only sixteen more chapters to go to finish that book and six more books to go to finish it all.**_

_**Love,**_

_**F & D**_

Everybody groaned at the amount of stuff they would have to finish reading. Bea was still happy that she'll have her friends soon. She missed their inputs and comments on stuff like this. While she was happy that she made friends with the Trio and Founders she feel left out when they interact with one another.

"Well, I suppose we should continue on with these books. Hopefully, we'll be able to get our answers as to why we are here and what these people want us to do." Helga said as she picked up the book and turned to the next chapter.

**The Vanishing Glass**

"Oh bugger." Harry suddenly said.

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AN: So here's the first chapter of book one. My hands hurt from writing and typing all of this stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to increase my speed somehow at typing but whatever. Anyway, hope you guys like this.

R&R!


	3. Chapter 2: the Vanishing Glass

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Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass

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**The Vanishing Glass**

"Oooh! We get to hear about your accidental magic, Harry." Bea leaned forward with eager eyes.

"It's nothing too special Bea." Harry smiled at the grin on her face.

"Hey, is this the story you told us one time?" Harry whispered to Harry with glee in his eyes. Harry smirked and nodded.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets –**

"Beach balls." Bea snickered with Ron.

"Kids." Hermione teasingly said, laughing as Bea and Ron childishly stuck their tongues out at her.

**but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

"And why is that?" Salazar narrowed his eyes. Harry looked away from the piercing silver eyes that gazed upon him.

"I don't like photos." Harry shrugged unconvincingly.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.**

"**Up! Get up! Now!"**

Bea winced.

"I wouldn't want to wake up to that in the morning." Bea sympathetically said.

"I wouldn't wish it on anyone." Harry drawled.

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.**

"**Up!" she screeched.**

"He's just waking up woman." Godric rolled his eyes.

"Aunt Petunia isn't really a patient person." Harry said.

**Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

"Your memory is good if you remember that even in your dreams." Rowena stared at Harry who shifted uncomfortably.

**His aunt was back outside the door.**

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded.**

"**Nearly," said Harry.**

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."**

Everybody snickered at the nickname.

"Duddy?" Ron asked Harry with amused eyes. Harry merely smirked.

"It gets a lot worse later on. You'll see." Harry grinned at his friend.

**Harry groaned.**

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.**

"He didn't say anything woman." Salazar snapped. His temper was rising with every word about the Dursleys. "They made you cook?"

"Since I was five. Aunt Petunia isn't really good at cooking. Besides, I enjoy cooking." Harry rubbed the back of his head as he answered.

"Five years old?" Salazar growled along with some of the other occupants of the room. Bea's eyes darkened a bit as memories started to appear. Her body began to shiver a bit.

She jumped in surprise and her eyes cleared when she notived Helga looking at her worriedly. She smiled shakily.

"I'm fine Professor. I was just lost in some of my memories." Bea said trying to convince the woman who heaved a sigh but nodded.

"Look, it's done already. There's nothing you could do to change it." Harry said with an irritated look. However everyone froze when a scheming gleam appeared in those silver eyes.

"We shall see…" Salazar silkily said. The others shivered at the tone and look in his eyes.

"**Nothing, nothing…"**

**Dudley's birthday – how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders,**

Ron shivered at the mention of spiders.

"I hate spiders." Harry sent his friend an apologetic look.

Helga's eyes widened as she saw the next words and she read them trembling with anger.

**because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.**

"Those scums! Treating a child like that!" Helga shrieked as the furniture around them began trembling and rising with the power seeping out of the woman.

Nobody can really say that the youngest founder was the weakest among them now…

Salazar was also gritting his teeth and his clenched hands were turning white because of how hard he was clenching it. His eyes were glowing with power and rage and the air seemed to have turned as cold as ice.

"Helga, Salazar, calm down!" Godric gripped the should of Salazar while Rowena was hugging Helga tightly trying to calm her friend down.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Hermione demanded to Harry whose eyes were blank of any emotion.

"Because it is already done Mione. Besides, I am sure that in the next chapter my life would become better because my letter has finally arrived." Harry calmly said.

"Still mate, we would have wanted to know. We're brothers in all but blood, Harry. I would never abandon you just because of this. I don't think of you as weak at all." Ron shook his head. "You were just a kid Harry. It's understood that you can't protect yourself against someone who should have been caring for you mate."

Harry was silent for a bit before smiling and hugging his two friends.

"Thanks guys." He whispered into their ears.

"Sal, instead of raging you should be worrying about your little snake who is suffering a panic attack1" Godric roared which made the trio jump and they along with Salazar looked at the lone Slytherin.

Bea was pale and she was breathing heavily. She was shivering violently and her bright green eyes were unfocused and full of fear. Tears were going down her face and she was curling up as if protecting herself from an unseen force that is attacking her.

_Dark, so dark! All I could see was darkness and blood… Blood in my face and my hands!_

"Bea!" Salazar yelled trying to get her to snap out of it.

_And the pain! It hurts so much! Someone, stop it… Please!_

Suddenly something liquid went down her throat and she began to return to the present. She opened her eyes and saw everyone looking at her worriedly.

"Are you alright now Bea?" Helga asked with a concerned look as her Healer eyes scanned the girl for anymore distress and sign of another attack.

She finally noticed that Salazar had been holding her with a vial of Calming Draught in his hands. His eyes were shining with worry as he looked down on her.

"I… yeah, I'm just fine. Can we just please return to reading?' Her eyes pleading that they should just forget what happened. Salazar gazed at her for a minute before looking at Helga and curtly nodding. He allowed the girl to seat near him just in case she would have the same problem later on.

"Helga, I believe we should continue reading." Salazar told Helga who looked at him incredulously.

"But Sal—" However Rowena placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"She'll talk when she is ready Hel. Besides, I am sure that Sal has it covered." Rowena jerked her head to Salazar who was observing the girl at the corner of his eyes.

Helga thought for a minute before picking up the book with a reluctant look and continued reading from where she had stopped.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise – unless of course it involved punching somebody.**

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

'If that punching bag is Harry I swear…' She thought with anger.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry,**

"Bullying pig." Hermione sneered at the book while Ron growled.

**but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.**

"That's a valuable skill in dueling." Godric nodded approvingly. "However speed should also apply when you're thinking on your feet."

"Harry's good at spontaneous ideas but other than that…" Ron trailed off with a smirk on his face.

"My plans aren't that bad." Harry smiled teasingly.

"No, they're worse." Ron bluntly said.

"Prat." Harry pushed on his shoulder.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard,**

The mood darkened at once in the remembrance of the cupboard.

**but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.**

"Yeah, he's a scrawny little git." Ron grinned as Harry spluttered his protests.

"Hey! I'm not that scrawny." Harry glared at Ron who snorted.

"Keep believing in that and maybe it'll come true." Ron smirked at the indignant look.

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all her had to wear were older clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was.**

"And that was a few years ago." Harry shook his head.

The others looked disgusted.

"That's disgusting! His parents should be taking care of his health and not allow him to become severely obese! They should have balanced his meal with the proper diet." Helga ranted off.

"And he still grow out an inch each year.' Harry piped up.

"Fatass." Ron grunted.

"I don't know Ron… You remind me of him every time you shovel down your food." Harry snickered at the horrified look the red head sent him.

"That's low mate, incredibly low." Ron glowered at the smirking raven.

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes.**

Harry's eyes gained a faraway look as he remembered different people telling him about his parents' appearance and how he reminded them of his Mum and Dad.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.**

"Maybe you should also punch him on the face like you did with the ferret Mione. You have quite a mean right hook." Ron commented to Hermione who smirked proudly at him.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"That's a surprise." Hermione commented.

"I liked it because it was unique. But I hate it now." Harry explained as he idly rubbed the scar.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.**

"**In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

"Car crash?" Hermione screeched.

"They lied to you about your parents' death?' Godric sharply asked one of his lions who nodded.

"That's just cruel. Making you think that your parents aren't good people at all. They lied to you about their sacrifice and love…" Bea trailed off shaking her head.

"Damned muggles." Salazar sneered.

"Not all of them are like the Dursleys." Harry said.

"My mom and dad don't treat me any different even if I am a witch." Hermione pointed out while Salazar stubbornly huffed.

"**And don't ask questions."**

"Then how will you learn?" Rowena's eyes narrowed, angry at the idea of hurdling someone's quest to gain knowledge.

"They don't like me questioning them." Harry shrugged.

"You should be free to ask questions. Nobody should stop you from satisfying your curiosity. It is natural that a child would have a lot of questions about the world around them." Rowena stated.

**Don't ask questions – that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.**

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.**

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way – all over the place.**

"The infamous Potter hair curse. No spell could ever tame it." Bea said with an amused smile. "That's practically your family's symbol. Wild hair."

"Is that also included in your studies?" Salazar incredulously asked.

"Nope, I hear people ranting about it. Besides, Harry's fangirls say that it's how they can find and stalk him in the middle of a group." Bea nonchalantly said while Harry looked horrified.

"That's how?" Harry ran a hand through his hair while the others laughed at his expression

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel –**

Everybody snorted in disbelief.

**Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.**

"An accurate description." Godric wheezed out through his laughter.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.**

"**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."**

"I'm surprise he even has friends to give him one." Ron snarked.

"Most of them are from uncle and auntie as well as Aunt Marge. Only two or three of those gifts are from his crew." Harry said.

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."**

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"Careful dear, you might choke." Helga warmly told Harry who looked at her with a smile.

"I'll be fine Professor Helga." Harry told her as she nodded.

"Wow, he still has tantrums at that age?" Bea raised an eyebrow at the book. It seems that she had fully recovered from her previous episode.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"**

"And they even encourage it." Hermione had a disgusted look on her face

"We all know they are deplorable people." Godric growled still thinking about the cupboard.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"**

"Why does it not surprise me that he cannot even add?" Ron sarcastically said.

"Because he's a moron." Harry smirked

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.**

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."**

**Uncle Vernon chuckled.**

"**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

Helga glowered at the book in her hands.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies.**

"I'm sure we can convince Sirius to go out this summer. Hell, we could even ask him and Remus to take you to other countries." Ron said with determined eyes. Harry gave him a grateful grin.

"Thanks mate." Harry patted the red head on the shoulder.

"No problem 'Ry."

**Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

"I like dogs more but my heart will always belong to Minnie.' Bea grinned secretively at the trio who laughed as they got the message.

"Same Bea, same as you." Ron shook his head with a grin.

"Who's Minnie?" Godric asked with a curious look.

All of the students smirked at him but didn't give an answer.

"**We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.**

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"The feeling is mutual." Harry snarked.

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there – or rather as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

"You're not a slug Harry." Bea gave him a smile. Harry grinned.

"Thanks Bea." But then she smirked.

"You're a flobberworm." Harry gave her a mock evil glare.

"Shut up midget." Bea gave him a wounded look.

"**What about what's-her-name, your friend – Yvonne?"**

"**On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.**

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

"A good Slytherin act." Salazar nodded approvingly. "However you shouldn't have suggested it. They will do the opposite of what you want. You should have suggested to come with them."

"Salazar! You shouldn't be teaching our students how to manipulate circumstances to their advantage!" Helga scolded Salazar who shrugged while he smirked at the grinning students.

"I was merely teaching them since they might need it someday." Salazar's eyes twinkled with an unholy light.

"You lie. I know you better than that. You only want to corrupt others." Helga looked at the snake Founder who grinned.

"You know me so well, my dear." Salazar waggled his brows suggestively drawing laughter from everyone.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.**

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"**I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"Now that's an idea." Godric smirked mischievously while Ron grinned.

"I could give the twins a hint or two. I'm sure they could do it creatively." The students laughed at the grinning Weasley.

"You horrible, horrible person! I would never be so evil to sic the twins on someone. But then again these people deserves it." Bea's eyes darkened as she glared at the book.

"It's in the past Bea." Harry patted the girl on the shoulder as she shot him a stubborn look.

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave him in the car…"**

"**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…"**

"He's not a dog!" Hermione glared furiously at the book.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying – it had been years since he'd really cried – but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.**

"**Dinky Duddykums,**

Everybody chuckled at the horrible nickname.

**don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flipping her arms around him.**

"**I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.**

"Despicable child." Helga grumbled.

Harry wondered how the book stayed unlit with fire because of the ferocious glares the others were tossing it.

**Just then, the doorbell ran – "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically – and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.**

"Why I ought to…" Godric began muttering curses underneath his breath. His brown eyes were flashing in anger.

"Godric dislikes cowards." Salazar supplied helpfully as both Helga and Rowena snorted.

"Dislikes? An understatement of the year if I've seen any. He detests them with all his heart." Rowena dryly said.

"Just like how you detest ignorance, Helga with traitors and I with dunderheads just like the Dursleys." Salazar sarcastically said while the students snickered. "What?"

"You remind us of our Potions professor. He's the head of Slytherin and also calls idiots dunderheads." Harry piped up.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.**

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy – any funny business, anything at all – and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"Potter, if he has ever done that to you, I will castrate him." Bea softly said with Hermione looking at her with an approving gleam in her eyes.

"It's mostly empty threats." Harry shrugged with a nonchalant look.

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"**

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.**

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tried of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.**

"Harry, didn't your aunt grow up with your mother?" Harry asked the green eyed boy who nodded. "Then she should have known it was accidental magic!"

"She didn't care. As long as I did something strange then that's enough for them to punish me." Salazar's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"And what are these punishments?" Salazar growled.

"Er…" Harry looked away not answering the question. Hermione's eyes were filled with tears. Godric, Salazar and Ron were shaking in rage. Helga closed her eye tightly and was trying to calm herself down. Rowena looked nonchalant but her eyes had taken an extra icy glint. Bea had her head in her hands but wasn't as bad as earlier.

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much as to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his copboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.**

Everyone blinked in amazement.

"You flew." Bea had an awed look in her face.

"I think he apparated.' Rowena said as she looked at the fidgeting boy with interest.

"Apparition can never be fully silent. You can soften the sound but there is still that soft pop a person with sensitive hearing could hear." Bea stubbornly said. "Besides, if he apparated he would have felt that uncomfortable feeling no matter how slightly it is."

Rowena peered at her.

"Has the hat considered you for Ravenclaw?" Bea smiled secretively.

"Who knows?" Helga took that as the cue to continue on reading.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figgs' cabbage-smelling living room.**

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning it was motorcycles.**

"… **roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.**

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle,' said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."**

Everybody groaned while Harry flushed in embarrassment and grinned sheepishly.

"We have to fix that tact of yours." Salazar shook his head. "Bloody Gryffs, no tact and brain for self preservation at all."

"I resent that!" Godric protested while Bea snickered away.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache. "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.**

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."**

"I know it isn't now." Harry smiled fondly.

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon – they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.**

"No Ron, we are not going to give the twins ideas." Hermione firmly said just as Ron opened his mouth.

"Oh man, but think of the pranks they could sic on Umbridge." Ron slyly said while Hermione took on a contemplative face.

"Who is this Umbridge?" Salazar asked while every student scowled.

"You'll find out about her in my fifth year," Harry darkly said.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

"Harry! You shouldn't say that." Helga scolded a bewildered Harry.

"But—" However Helga continued on.

"You're insulting the poor animal." Helga said with an uncharacteristic smirk.

Everybody burst out laughing at that.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.**

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

**After lunch they went to the reptile house.**

Salazar perked up while Bea looked interested and eager. The others looked at the duo in bemusement.

"You Slytherins with your snakes.' Helga shook her head with a fond look.

"My guardian has a magical Runespoor snake that can communicate with those that they like through the mind. I'm particularly fond of snakes because of them and my guardian.' Bea admitted while looking at the others sheepishly.

"They're snakes." Salazar stated as if it explained everything.

Indeed it does.

**It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along with walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons.**

"I would absolutely love to show them." Salazar drawled as his eyes took on a dangerous glint.

"No Sal, no matter how much I wish to sic your snakes on them it would be too troublesome to fix." Rowena firmly said while Salazar huffed.

"Fine, ruin all my fun will you?" Salazar grumbled.

**Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can – but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.**

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.**

"I feel sorry for the snake who'd have to see that." Ron shivered in disgust.

"Yeah, seeing the pigs' face distorted is even more disturbing." Bea shivered.

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.**

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

"He ordered his father?" Ron winced. "If I'd done that I wouldn't be able to sit straight for a few days."

"This child needs to learn manners!" Godric's nostrils flared. "He need a good smacking to set him straight."

"Despicable. No respect for any of his elders." Helga shook her head.

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.**

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself – no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

Everybody, except for Harry who looked confused, groaned.

"What? What's wrong?" Harry demanded.

"What's wrong is the fact that you have compared your home life to that of an animal which also hints that you are going to talk to your friends and us about what happened in the past with these vermins." Salazar sharply said. Bea nodded in agreement.

"It would be a lot better to tell others of what happened than to keep it inside of you." Bea said and the whole room went silent.

"What do you mean by that?" Godric softly asked.

"What do I mean by what?" Godric and Salazar glared at the girl who shrunk a bit.

"Your words. You sound as if you'd experienced the same." Hermione silently said and Bea paled.

"That… it's none of your businesses. What happened in my past stays in it." Bea stonily replied even as she paled further.

Helga knew the topic was closed. She picked up from where she had stopped.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.**

**It winked.**

"It winked? I thought snakes don't have eyelids?" Ron forced himself to say it as casually as he can.

"Our magic often interprets some animal actions into what seems to be a human behavior." Rowena explained.

The tension was still there and it had not lessened a bit.

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. he looked back at the snake and winked, too.**

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:**

"**I get that all the time."**

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

"**Where do you come from anyway?" Harry asked.**

"You're a parseltongue?" Salazar looked delighted at finding someone who speaks to snakes like him.

"I actually got it from an attack by someone who accidentally transferred his powers to me that time." Harry said with a tiny smile at the eager look in the snake founders' eyes.

"That's impossible Harry.' Bea silently said. "No wizard no matter how powerful can transfer his powers to someone else."

"Really?" Harry looked at Hermione and Rowena both whom nodded slowly.

"Something may have activated the ability that may have been in your genes from that attack. It's likely that at some point in your family tree someone may have wed with a person who has parseltongue." Rowena theorized.

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.**

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

"**Was it nice there?"**

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see – so you've never been to Brazil?"**

"No Harry, he's been to Brazil so many times he's bored of it already." Ron raised an eyebrow at his friend who flushed in embarrassment.

"Shut it Ron! I was only ten back then!" Harry growled.

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor.**

Everybody glared at the book.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened – one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.**

"Impressive feat. For you to be able to vanish something completely and without any noticeable decrease of your magic means that you must be quite an impressive wizard." Rowena looked at Harry who flushed.

"It wasn't that—"

"Vanishing charms aren't taught until sixth year Harry. To be able to do it at the age of ten is impressive." Hermione cut her friend off.

Ron slung an arm around his shoulders and grinned.

"You have no choice but to accept that you are powerful mate." Ron smugly said. He told Harry many times he was incredibly but the boy with a low self esteem can't believe him. He internally scowled as his eyes flashed.

'Damn Dursleys.' Ron darkly thought

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughtout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.**

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… thanksss, amigo."**

"At least the snake had manners." Helga muttered.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

"**But the glass,' he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of something strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed,**

"I like that snake." Godric said with an amused look.

"I wonder if he was able to get to Brazil." Harry mused.

**but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg,**

"When it didn't even come near him." Salazar scoffed.

**while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"Liars." Bea rolled her eyes.

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"**

"Tattle tales." Ron muttered.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go – cupboard – stay – no meals," **

Everybody growled at the book while Harry shook his head in exasperation at their reactions.

**before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.**

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

"That must be how you are so good at sneaking around." Hermione sadly said.

"While it is a useful skill to have, it is unfortunate that the experience you had to get it was in that manner." Salazar glared at the book while his eyes darkened.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten year, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash.**

"Car crash? They told you your parents died in a car crash." Godric dangerously narrowed his eyes.

"Er… Yeah." Harry cautiously replied and winced when Godric snarled. Rowena placed a calming hand on his shoulders despite the icy glint in her eyes.

"Calm down Godric." Rowena said as her friend reluctantly did so.

**He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.**

"Green flash? The only spell that I know could kill with that color is…" Salazar paled. "You survived the Killing Curse."

Harry warily nodded.

"That scar is the only thing left from that spell? Interesting…" Rowena murmured.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away,**

"He wanted to but unfortunately he was wronged by a bunch of morons who didn't even give him a trial.' Harry bitterly said.

"He?" Helga asked but she already knew their answer.

"You'll find out about him in my third year." Harry said.

**but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while our shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.**

"The only thing they had done was confuse you." Hermione shook her head.

"I, for one, wonder how they knew where you were." Rowena frowned.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"I'd disagree with them and send a couple of hexes on their arses." Bea murmured angrily.

A table suddenly appeared along with food and plates.

"I suppose we should take a break and get something to eat." Godric declared as the teenagers stomachs growled in hunger.

"We should also spend this time to get to know one another as well." Salazar smoothly said while the teens gulped in nervousness.

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AN: So I have finally finished this chapter. Sorry for taking so long everyone. I had a busy week trying to fix everything for college and attending different orientations for it. I'm going to be busy since it's college already so it might take me long amount of time to get the chapters out. Sorry for that.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter~

Please review!

R&R

PS Is it just me or is the review button getting larger and larger? Last time I went here it was just a little line now it's a huge button. *shakes head with amusement evident in her eyes


	4. Chapter 3: Interlude 1

Interlude 1: Lunch Break, Getting to Know, Friends

However, before they could eat or even begin interogating(Salazar), a bright light covered the whole room and once it dimmed down, two groaning bodies were on the floor.

"Get your fat ass off me, you idiotic prat!" A familiar snide voice reached Bea and the Golden Trio's ears.

Bea allowed a bright smile to appear on her lips and she pounced on the two bodies on the floor. The still unidentified males(judging by their built) slightly yelped and groaned as another person joined their lump on the floor.

"Gerroff!" A muffled voice growled before the person paused and there was surprise on their voice. "Wait, Bea? I thought you were in the room of Requirement?"

Bea finally got off the two and the two newly arrived people finally stood up and brushed their robes off.

"Zabini? Nott?" Hermione asked with disbelief.

The blonde boy with cold violet eyes raised an eyebrow at Hermione and along with his other companion instinctively placed their bodies in front of their female member. The other boy has slightly messy raven hair and a pair of amber eyes that were glimmering warily even as the owner was smiling.

"Why were you with the Gryffindor trio and four strangers Bea?" Blaise cheerily asked Bea while the others were looking at the smiling Slytherin with raised eyebrows.

'A cheerful Slytherin? Well, you don't see that everyday.' Harry raised an eyebrow at Blaise who was chattering cheerfully to an amused Bea.

The blonde boy, Theodore Nott, still looked at them with cold, criticizing eyes. Godric gulped when he saw that look from the blonde Slytherin and found the look to be pretty similar when Salazar found something annoying or rather, suspicious which is nearly always.

"Who are these people Bea?" Theo nonchalantly asked Bea who blinked at him and smiled.

"You already know the Golden Trio, Theo. Those four adults are the Four Founders." Bea informed the blonde boy who hummed thoughtfully and nodded.

"I see..." Theo murmured as his kind began to think of possibilities as to why this was happening.

Beside him, Blaise was gaping unattractively at the Four Founders with Salazar raising an eyebrow at one of his uniquely odd snake. Blaise was pointing wordlessly at the founders who were amused deep within them at the boy's surprise.

"B-but... they're dead!" Blaise squeaked and he glared at Theo who was snorting at him. "And don't you dare snort at me when this time, I'm the one who finds everything unbelievable! You're supposed to be the one who was denying and refusing to believe Bea!"

Theo smirked at Blaise before nodding towards Bea who was snickering at their interaction.

"She might be a bit odd and hyperactive at times but she often tells the truth unless she was bored and wishes to play with other's minds." Theo boredly said before inclining his head respectfully towards the founders. "Greetings Founders of our Beloved school, we appreciate your effort in keeping Bea under control."

Theo chuckled in amusement when he saw his female friend pouting at him while Blaise was still whining to her about the blonde boy being such a cold prat. The Founders nodded their head towards the blonde Slytherin before Blaise finally stopped whining and asked them the question that he had been wondering about.

"Where are we and what's happening?" Blaise asked while Bea began to inform them of what was happening along with Hermione.

After the explanation, Theo nodded with understanding in his eyes while Blaise was still confused about some of the things but understood the basics. A paper fluttered down in front of Salazar and he snatched it out of the air without batting an eye and opened the letter.

_Did you like your surprise, Bea?_

"Yes, thank you!" Bea's eyes is bright and happy. She was completely comfortable sitting in between the two male Slytherins who looked at the girl with fond amusement.

_You're welcome, brat. Anyway, people are going to be coming in this room until we finish all but the last two books. I'm sure all of you would find some surprising people entering but please understand that each and everyone of you has a reason for coming into this room. Soon, the truth will come out and everything will become clear. My companions did not tell you earlier but there is a... master puppeteer on all these events. Everything will become clear in the end. We were not able to fix this in our future but in yours... hopefully, you will all be able to do so._

_For now, just read and get to know one another. Some of you would be surprised at what you would find out about the others. Also, most of your enemies will soon become your allies. Most of them... were not in their right frames of mind. Being in this place will soon begin to heal the souls and hearts of everyone._

_The future is in your hands so please... fix it... make the future a better place if not for us... or for you... but for the future generations who should never experience the bloody era that we are going through._

_This is all for now..._

_Basilisk_

Everyone was silent at what they had heard. The golden trip are exchanging looks and the founders are deep in their own thoughts. The Slytherin trio are silent as they observed the proceedings in front of them.

"This is becoming pretty interesting..." Theo muttered towards his two companions who nodded.

"Theo, Blai (Blay), maybe... with this I'll be able to find out some bits of my past." Bea softly said while Blaise looked at her with worry.

"You fine with that, Bey?" Blaise asked Bea who shrugged. "Well, just remember that you're not alone in facing your problems. We're here for you."

Bea gave Blaise a thankful smile while the boy with a big grin on his lips. Theo shrugged and poked Bea's forehead.

"Stop being sentimental, you idiots. The fluff is making me puke." Theo said with a blunt tone. Bea pouted with Blaise and both of them stuck their own tongues out at their cold friend.

They finally remembered that they were with other people when they heard someone snickering and giggling. They turned their heads to see the founders and Gryffindors smiling at them. Bea's face erupted in bright red while Blaise just laughed sheepishly while rubbing his cheeks there was a slight flush of embarassment in his cheeks. Theo just stared back at them defiantly refusing to show that he was embarassed the slightest bit.

"I guess the rumors are right. The three of you are like the odd trio of Slytherin." Ron commented while Bea gave him confused looks and the other two snorting at what their group was called.

"We're not as popular as you three." Theo shot back while Harry and Ron looked amused.

Theo somewhat reminds them of their bookworm friend except that he was more cunning, cold and sarcastic than her.

"I believe that some of us are already hungry." Ron grinned sheepishly when Helga threw him a look when his stomach grumbled loudly. "Perhaps we should relocate to the dining table?"

Everyone took their own seats at the round table.

(The positions are in a clockwise formation: Godric, Rowena, Salazar, Helga, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Blaise, Bea and Theo)

Different kinds of food appeared just like how it is in the Great Hall whenever it was eating time and all the occupants of the table began to place food on their plates. Blaise saw that Bea was looking at the pudding in his plate and she was giving him a kicked puppy look. He mentally smirked and began to coo over Bea who now looked horrified, to his amusement, and began to pull on her cheeks.

"Aw... you look so adorable it makes me want to give you my pudding." His eyes gleamed mischievously when he saw the hopeful look and went for the kill. "But I won't."

He snickered at the dejected look on his friends' face. Theo rolled his eyes at their childishness before noticing that Bea and Blaise were barely eating any vegetables and his eyes gained a stern gleam. He began to place vegetables on his two childish friends' plates to their dismay.

"You two dunderheads better eat those vegetables or I'll tell Snape that you weren't doing so again." The two looked horrified and began to eat their vegetables with renewed vigor.

Salazar noticed this with both amusement and curiosity and he decided to ask them what was that about seeing as even though the others were also curious of the trio's antics but didn't have the heart to disturb the... light air around them.

"What did you mean by that, snakeling?" Theo raised an eyebrow at the nickname the founder of his shouse gave them but decided to answer.

"The two never liked eating vegetables. In our first year, I tried to get them to eat but they weren't listening and so I decided to ask our Head to scold them two. Snape asked Minnie..." His eyes gleamed in amusement. "To enchant the vegetables to chase the two idiots everywhere. It was a source of amusement for everyone. Bea's other guardian even decided to join in and made sure that the enchantment won't stop unless the two promised to eat vegetables at least once a day."

Harry and Ron roared with laughter as they heard that. They remembered that day when everyone was confused as to why the vegetables were chasing Blaise and Bea around while Theo was following them with a smug smirk on his lips. Hermione chuckled and shook her head as she gave the blonde a sympathetic look.

"Harry and Ron are also a handful especially when you are making them do something for their own good. Harry has the tendency to rush off into battle with Ron in tow. They also like causing trouble." Hermione sighed while Rowena and Theo gave her a look of sympathy.

"I know how you feel. Whenever Bea rushes off to help some of the bullied children, Blaise is always near her and decides that brawling is the best way to do so." Theo sighed with Rowena.

"I have two reckless friends who rushes off to battle immediately while the supposedly mature one often goes along with them and decides to even taunt our enemies." Rowena sighed.

The said friends threw their mature friends a wounded look although there was also a smile twitching up their lips. Salazar suddenly turned serious and looked at the students from the future while they fidgeted on their seats in discomfort at the sharp look in the sly man's eyes. Although, Theo was throwing him the same look while he was gripping his female friends' hand tightly underneath the table which was the same thing that Blaise was doing with her other hand.

"Bea... are you suffering a bad home life?" Salazar bluntly asked while Helga looked at him sharply at his blunt tone.

Bea's breathing hitched and her eyes slightly dilated and gained a dead look. Theo hissed angrily and glared at Salazar who looked back at him with dispassionate eyes. Blaise's eyes flashed and he lost his grin as his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Why don't you just mind your-" Blaise was cut off when Bea's hand gripped the sleeves of his shirt and shook her head.

"Theo..." Bea looked at Theo who looked away when she glanced at him. Bea sighed exasperatedly at their stubborn looks.

'Really... it's not like I'm going to shatter like glass when someone mentions my past home life.' Bea thought with annoyance. 'These two are so protective...'

Bea mentally sighed before turning towards Salazar with a calm look.

"I did in the past." Bea answered with the same blunt tone that Salazar spoke in. "Aside from some stuff triggering me, I don't react too violently when others mention those times anymore. Aside from earlier since I was caught off guard with what we read, you don't need to worry much."

The others were slightly stunned at her honest answer. They didn't expect that she would answer immediately when she looked so cold and guarded earlier when Salazar asked her. Theo and Blaise had an idea as to what happened in her past since she told them bits of it in the times they spent together. But even they did not think she could speak about it so casually.

"What are these... tirggers?" Helga hesitantly asked.

"It depends... it's actually pretty unpredictable. In fact, even my Healer doesn't know what it is that triggers me most of the times." Bea shrugged. "He just said that most of my triggers has something to do with my fears. Take that earlier one for example. Being in dark places often paralyzes me with fear so it triggered me."

Rowena nodded in understanding along with the other intellectual people. Godric and Ron are still angry that something happened to her home life in the past while Blaise's eyes were narrowed in anger and hatred. Harry, Helga and Salazar looked at her with sympathy since they knew what it means to have a bad childhood.

"Anyway, let's move away from that topic. I may not be as sensitive as before with that topics but that doesn't mean I likw to talk about it." Bea huffed. "So Professor Salazar, what do you think about us future snakelings?"

There was a sly gleam in her eyes while Salazar snoted at the question. He allowed the subject to change as he smirked at the female Slytherin.

"You are a handful, your tanned friend reminds me of that idiotic Gryff and Theo reminds me of the annoying sarcastic hellion." Salazar deadpanned while the others burst into laughter at his answer.

Bea and Blaise were pouting as always and Theo smirked tauntingly at Salazar was he rebutted what the founder said.

"You mean just like you, right Salazar Slytherin, sir?" Theo smiled sweetly while his two friends stopped pouting and shuddered at the expression in his face.

Godric snickered.

"He got you there Sal." Godric grinned when his friend threw him a mock hurt face. "You're a cold prat just like him."

Salazar rolled his eyes at his guffawing friend before turning his eyes towards the Gryffindor trio who are also laughing. Once Harry had gotten his laughter under control, he looked at the Slytherins and smiled widely.

"The three of you are really close." Harry chuckled when Bea grinned brightly and looped both of her arms on each of her friend.

"Of course, we went through a lot already!" Bea proudly said while Blaise agreed with her enthusiastically.

Theo snorted and gave both his companions a cold look. But both Slytherins were still grinning at him and he sneered.

"They are merely acquaintances. Somebody needs to control the dunderheads." Theo snobbily said while the others gave him a sarcastic look.

"Right... because acquaintances unconsciously steps in front of their acquaintance as if protecting them." Helga's golden eyes are bright with laughter. "We believe that you are only acquaintances. Don't worry."

A small blush appeared on Theo's cheeks and he glared at Helga who was giggling at his embarassment. Godric smirked at the Slytherin with a taunting look. Theo glowered at the red haired man before suddenpy smirking deviously. Godric stopped grinning and gulped nervously when he saw the smirk. He remembered when Salazar often gave that similar smirk every time Godric teased him too much.

Blaise paled when he saw the smirk and inched away from Gryffindor and nearer Bea who saw the smirk and nervously smiled.

"Um... I would advise you to avoid Theo for a bit while Professor Godric. Whenever he gets that smirk... it doesn't end nicely." Blaise said and twitched when Theo sent that same smirk towards him. "I didn't even do anything!"

"Oh really, Blay?" Blaise paled even further. If Theo used Bea's favorite nickname for himthat would mean the blonde boy is pissed. "You weren't the one who put the frogs in my bag, didn't you?"

"I don't know of anything of that sort! I am innocent of that crime!" Blaise defended himself. He knew that once Theo found out whoever placed those frogs in his bag, the blonde boy would be murdering them.

Theo absolutely despises frogs.

'Poor Blay, Theo just loves pinning the blame on him.' Bea thought before a tiny smirk appeared on her lips before it disappeared just as fast as it has appeared. 'But of course, that's the very thing I need so that he won't know that I was the one who did that.'

Unaware to Bea, Helga had seen that smirk and the warm hearted woman mentally chuckled. She had a suspicion as to who was the one who placed those frogs on the blonde Slytherin. She won't say anything since it was pretty obvious that the girl did not mean anything by it.

'Besides, I know the glee of doing pranks on other people and blaming it on someone else since you would never be the one they would first suspect.' Helga mischievously.

While the founders and three Slytherins teased Theo for being too defensive over not being his two companions' friend, the three Gryffindors watched the events with gentle smiles on their lips.

"Godric really reminds me of you Ron." Hermione smirked at Ron who huffed proudly. "And you remind me of Salazar a bit Harry."

Harry shrugged and grinned at Hermione as he pointed towards Rowena who was content enough with observing the interactions like them.

"And you remind me of Rowena, Hermione. The two of you are so smart and bookish." Harry teased Hermione who rolled her eyes at him. Then his eyes strayed towards the three Slytherins. "Those three reminds me a bit of us."

Ron shrugged as his blue eyes took an icy glint and it looked at the other trio with a calculative look. He hummed thoughtfully and stared at Blaise who looked goofy and cheerful.

"Blaise is just like me." Ron said as he tilted his head to the side slightly as he stared at Blaise with uriosity gleaming in his eyes. "I heard from the grapevine that Zabini is the chessmaster of Slytherin."

"And Nott looks like he's the one who does the research the group needs." Hermione commented as she looked at Theo who was smirking tauntingly at a sulking Blaise. "I heard from Minnie that Nott is in the top three. He beats Malfoy to the second spot."

Harry whistled appreciatively at the information. Malfoy might be an ass, he's still very intelligent. It seems that this little trio is truly worth taking notice of. Then their eyes stopped on the laughing girl who had been teasing Theo.

"She's just like you Ry. She's the very glue of their odd group." Ron said as he peered at the girl with observant eyes. "Not to mention she looks like the person who loves keeping everything inside herself."

"Her eyes... it's the same as yours." Hermione commented sadly. "Not that it would have been a surprise. After all, from what she told us about her triggers it looks like what happened to her in the past truly traumatized her. Remember earlier? She didn't trust us unlike when her two friends arrived. Now she looked completely at ease."

Harry closed his eyes as his childhood memories appeared in his mind. He took in a deep breath and released it slowly. He shook his head and gave a reassuring smile to his two friends before he turned serious when he remembered the letter earlier.

"What do you guys think about the letter earlier?" Harry asked as he leaned back on the wall.

His two friends' eyes turned calculating and Ron placed his arms in front of his chest as he hummed thoughtfully.

"It's... foreboding." Ron scowled. "I don't like the sound of that letter."

"I don't think that any of us did, Ron." Hermione sighed before she pressed her finger on her temple as she began to think. "The letter said a start of a bloody era right? Maybe there was a war in the future and Voldemort is connected to it? The first letter did tell how Voldemort is gaining more and more power."

Harry's hands clenched tightly at the mention of his enemy's name.

"But a master puppeteer? Does that mean someone else is pulling the strings in the backstage?" Ron's hands twitched. "That's... disconcerting."

"Hey golden trio, are you going to join us in reading?" Blaise's cheerful voice snapped them out of their seriouw discussion and they turned to see that everyone had settled down in the living room and was waiting for the three of them.

The trio exchanged glances and thought that perhaps it is better to let the reading continue for now. Maybe they will gain more clues in the future once the story goes on.

"Sure! We're coming!" Ron called back and scrambled towards the living or rather, reading room with his two friends in tow.

Once everyone was comfortable, Bea took the offered book and began reading the next chapter.

**Chapter three**

**The Letters From No One**

0-0-0-0-0

AN: Fina-freaking-ly, I managed to update this story. I apologize for the long wait since I actually got the cursed writer's block for the first few months of the semester and I was not able to update this for so long since I slightly lost interest in HP for a bit but your reviews really energized me into writing this chapter.

Actually, I found it pretty hard in writing this chapter in the past not only because of writer's block but I was wondering as to who would be the last person in the Slytherin trio. I initially had Blaise Zabini and Millicent to become her two best friends but I decided to change Millicent into Theo since I thought that it would be slightly easier... well, for me it is.

This chapter is just initializing some of the bonds and relationships between the people in this reading. You have the Silver Trio, Golden Trio and the Four Founders as the three main groups of friendships that somehow reflects the others. We have also set in the fact that all the groups have their own secrets which will be slowly revealed later on along with the pasts of each and everyone.

Well, hope that this chapter was good enough for all of you. I still think that it's lacking something but I suppose I could just edit it once I have finished this part.

See you all in the next update.

Ciao~

R&R!


	5. Chapter 4: The Letters From No One

Chapter Four  
The Letters From No One

**The Letters From No One**

"How could you have letters from no one?" Blaise raised an eyebrow. "I mean, if you received a letter then wouldn't that mean someone had to write something for you to receive one?"

Everyone gave him a blank stare as if he was an idiot for suggesting that. Blaise flushed a bit in embarrassment and saw the need to defend himself.

"What? I mean, it's a reasonable question! I think…" Blaise added the last sentence silently to himself.

"Congratulations! It seems that you do have a brain inside that head of yours." Theo snorted and smirked when Blaise glared at him.

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. **

The mood plummeted down at that and everyone glared at the book as if it was its fault that Harry had to have his punishment. Harry merely mentally sighed knowing that they wouldn't listen even if he said that it was fine now.

**By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started **

"What?" Hermione angrily hissed while the others, especially the adults were glowering at the book and plotting ways to make the Dursleys pay.

"The book was exaggerating." Harry said exasperatedly. "Of course they let me out. If they didn't then I wouldn't have been here reading these books with you guys nor would it be a whole book or even seven books if I had died by then."

They hated to admit it but Harry made a good point. But that doesn't mean that for the Golden Trio it was easy to hear about the times when their friend was still alone and believes that he would never rise from his situation with the Dursleys.

"That doesn't mean that it's good to hear about someone being treated like that Harry." Helga said softly while Harry nodded in agreement.

"I know but all I can ask you guys to do is that you should understand that it has been done already. All that's left is the future and the present." Harry said wisely.

Salazar sighed wearily as he heard that. Those words were not supposed to come from a youth's mouth. They should be worrying more about their studies and not about the realities of life. Those were the words of someone who has seen much already. That made him wonder what it is that this boy and his companions from the future went through seeing as each of them looked like they each had a secret hidden from others.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"What a horrid child!" Helga frowned disapprovingly.

"What could you expect from a child raised by parents who cater to his every will?" Rowena looked at the book with a raised eyebrow. She was in high belief that yes, children are allowed to explore and be curious but that does not mean they do not respect their own parents.

And if it was the parent's faults that the child became like this then it is also their fault that the child would grow to become an ignorant, spoiled criminal.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. **

"Then by going with that logic then wouldn't that mean that Goyle would be the leader of Malfoy and his cronies?" Hermione snapped a hand to her mouth and looked at Bea and her group warily.

To her surprise, the trio were chuckling and smirking at what she said.

"No, that's a common misconception. Greg's much taller than Goyle. I'm sure that it's hard knowing who's who since they both look so similar." Theo smirked at Hermione whose lips twitched up into a smirk of amusement.

Seems that the two book lovers in the two trios have much in common.

"Don't get me wrong, Draco's not that bad when he's inside the Common Room but really, even someone with the everlasting patience of a saint would get annoyed because of his narcissist ways! He even spends two hours in the bathroom, can you believe it?" Blaise whined to the Golden Trio while Harry and Ron burst into laughter. "We were nearly late to our Potions class because of that stupid prat! Thank Merlin for Prefect's bathrooms!"

"You mean, we won the bet that Malfoy spends two hours in the bathroom preening over his looks?" Ron snickered.

"There's a bet about that with your House?" Bea asked with a grin on her lips. "And don't worry Blay, Pansy also spends two hours in the bathroom I guess birds of the same feathers flock together."

"That and a lot more." Harry smirked secretively.

They're not just going to spew House secrets to each other that easily. It's much more fun to allow the others to ponder and find out on their own.

The Founders were silently watching the interaction of the group of teenagers with fond amusement. It was really nice to see their own houses having fun together. This was the reason why they founded Hogwarts. Forming bonds that would help you in the future and learning about the world around you slowly but surely until you are ready to face the harsh realities of the world with the everlasting bonds that you have made in the school.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

The teenagers' happiness disappeared and Ron and Hermione was frowning widely. Blaise and Theo remembered the times when Bea was being bullied by the older years and some of their House mates and other schoolmates. The school soon learned quick that the two boys are very overprotective to the point of nearly committing crime just to make those people pay. Needless to say, people soon stopped messing with the youngest in their group.

"I'd like to make a new game called Dudley Hunting." Ron smiled darkly.

Ron might seem naïve, ignorant, dumb and purely a Light wizard to others but to the rest of the what seems to be 'Golden' Trio, Ron was actually capable of being even more cruel than some of the students in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. He honestly told Harry and Hermione that there was a moment when the House also considered him to be a part of Slytherin and Ravenclaw but he said that the bravery and loyalty is brighter than his cunning and inquisitive nature.

"This already happened, remember?" Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron who pouted but kept quiet once again.

Unknown to Harry though, Hermione and Ron already had a plan to make the Dursleys pay for hurting their leader even before they had read the book.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. **

"Oh right! Because you'll be going to Hogwarts and out of the stupid piggies and giraffe's hair!" Bea cheerfully said while Harry chuckled and teased the girl.

"Of course not Bea, because we're going to read about Dudley's first year in Smeltings not my first year in Hogwarts," Harry sarcastically said and laughed with everyone when Bea stuck out her tongue childishly at Harry.

'Having her friends here with us really does wonders for her personality.' Salazar thought as he watched his female snakeling laugh with the other students when just an hour ago she looked like a lost, frightened little bunny.

**When September came he was going to be off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. **

"A wonderful name because they _smell things,_ geddit?" A blank stare answered Godric. He pouted and the others (namely the male students and Bea) snickered while the other Founders snorted and Hermione sighed exasperatedly.

"We disown you as our House Founder for that pathetic attempt, sir." Harry and Ron intoned solemnly but the smile that was raring to get out ruined the serious façade.

"That was pathetic Godric. You deserve to be fed to Sal's snake to rid us of your embarrassment." Helga bluntly said while Godric gaped at her.

"Oi! What happened to the cute, innocent, kind and shy Helga that we knew?" Godric whined dramatically while Salazar and Rowena looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"You're being delusional you reckless idiot. Since when had Helena been those things that you said?" Rowena asked with a blank tone.

"She's been a hellion since the first time we met. Or did you forget the moment you were suddenly thrown into the mud puddle when you tried to flirt with her?" Salazar smirked when Godric paled. "Are you hallucinating? Perhaps you have taken too many hits to your head Ric."

Helga smirked deviously at Godric who inched away from her.

"Godric~ Perhaps it's time for you to be reacquainted with my fist." Helga cheerfully said with a sickly sweet smile.

Godric flinched and jerked backwards as he hurriedly shook his head.

"Good boy." Helga smirked.

The students were practically dying of laughter at the interactions of the Founders save for Hermione who was giggling and Theo who was fighting to keep a straight face only to fail as the twitching lips and shaking shoulders gave it all away.

Once they recovered, Bea picked up the book once more but giggles still escaped her lips every now and then when she remembered the moments the Founders were messing with their redhead friend.

**Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"**They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"If you fall for that I'm going to disown you as a Gryffindor." Godric said with all seriousness before he yelped when Rowena smacked him at the back of his head. "Ow!"

"That was for being an idiot." Rowena glared at Godric who cowered.

"Why are you all picking on me?" Godric cried out to the amusement of everyone.

"Because you're easy pickings Professor Godric." Theo smirked tauntingly at the glare the redhead Founder sent him.

"Shut it, brat." Godrci snarled but Theo continued on smirking tauntingly at him.

His fellow students knew that it was normal for the sarcastic Slytherin to be like this. He has always been taunting and hates it when other people orders him around. Unless you have gained his respect, he'll continue to bite at you with his sarcastic words and even if you had his respect he's still reluctant to follow or listen to you.

Bea and Blaise knew that Theo doesn't care if you're god. If you gain his respect and grudging trust then that's when he stops biting at your reaching hands.

"**No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it – it might be sick." **

"Witty Harry," Bea smirked while the others snorted or chuckled. "Nonetheless, what you said is the painful truth for the poor toilet."

"Blimey Vladimir, where have you been hiding our whole school life?" Ron gasped out through his laughter.

Bea grinned cheekily.

"Right beneath your noses~" She said in a singsong voice.

**Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

"Debatable. That would mean he has enough brain cells to work it out." Rowena's eyes glinted.

"Right you are Row." Salazar smirked.

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to but his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

"Why would you do that to chocolates? You don't do that to chocolates." Blaise wailed to the amusement of the other students.

"What are chocolates?" Helga asked Blaise who gaped at her unattractively.

"You don't know chocolates? How could you not know about the wonders of them?" Blaise looked insane to those who were watching.

Ron even inched away from Blaise with a WTF look.

Theo sighed and tugged his sister in all but blood (not that he would admit it out loud) away from their lunatic chocoholic friend.

"In case you forgot Blay, chocolates haven't even been invented in their time." Bea stated with a blank look at her friend while peering over the book.

Blaise pouted but yelped when he was suddenly smacked at the head by Theo. The other teenagers laughed at them while the adults merely gave a look of amusement.

"Ah, the knuckleheads of our group, really can't say we don't love them." Hermione chuckled.

"Are you intentionally saying that out loud for me to hear 'Mione?" Ron asked Hermione with his face in a mask of hurt.

"Who knows?" Hermione smirked. "Were you affected by my words Ronald?"

"Why I would never—" Ron mock gasped and acted like he was going into depression.

"Mione makes a good point, Ron." Harry snickered as Ron mock glared at him.

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters.**

The whole room was silent at that.

"That looks… horrendous." Rowena looked absolutely horrified at the description of the uniform.

"Ugh… Even for non-fashionistas like me, I know that would look absolutely scarring." said Bea as she shuddered when she tried to imagine the uniform.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"You mean, good training for violence." Scowled Helga as she glared at the book.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. **

"Then he doesn't have that much things to be proud of doesn't he?" said Salazar with a small smirk on his lips.

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, **

"Fred and George looked like they wanted to wipe their mouths when I said that they call Dudley that name." laughed Ron while Hermione and Harry snorted.

"Yeah but Ickle Ronniekins does suit you." Harry dodged Ron's playful swipe for his head with a snicker.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. **

Everyone in the room snorted in disbelief and laughter.

**Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked trying not to laugh.**

Salazar raised an eyebrow and glanced at Harry with a sharp look.

"Were they?" asked Salazar with a sharp tone.

"Were they what?" asked Harry as he looked at the Slytherin Founder with confusion.

"Were your ribs cracked?" Harry did not deign him an answer and silently asked Bea to continue on reading with his eyes.

Bea looked like she doesn't want to continue but when Salazar gave her a curt nod she mentally breathed in relief and read on but there were still some times where she shot a worried glance at the tension going on between the snake Founder and Harry.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. **

"I honestly believed Aunt Petunia tried to cook." Smirked Harry as he ignored Salazar's intense look.

"Well, judging from how you were talking it seems like she's really terrible at cooking… if not more terrible than Bea." Said Blaise as he sent Bea a mischievous smirk while Bea flushed.

"It's not my fault I'm really terrible at cooking!" whined Bea before ducking her head behind the book and continued reading before her two best friends would have the chance to try and prove her wrong.

**It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

"**What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

Rowena made another disapproving sound in her throat. If she had only gotten her hands on these people…

"**Your new school uniform," she said.**

Blaise raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't realize it had to be so wet." Said Blaise with a sarcastic tone.

Harry snorted in amusement when he heard what Blaise said.

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

"**Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

"Oh, didn't realize you think like Harry, Blay." Bea grinned in mischief and she shot a sly look at Harry. "This means that you're insane. Didn't you hear, Potter's insane."

Ron couldn't help it. The way Bea said it with such a mocking and sarcastic tone really made it funnier than it normally was supposed to be. He snickered loudly while Harry playfully slapped him on his back.

"What do you mean he needs to be thinking like Potter?" Theo leaned back on their comfortable sofa. "He's never had it in the beginning anyway."

"HEY! What's this, is it Pick-On-Blaise-Day?" pouted Blaise.

"Everyday is Pick-On-Blaise-Day." Said Bea and Theo in unison with smirks on their faces.

"**Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things for gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

"That's like saying you'll noticeable sew torn apart rags and put it together to make a uniform and then say that it'll look the same as the others who has new uniforms." Hermione glared at the book with disdain.

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High – like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

"**Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"**Make Harry get it."**

"**Get the mail, Harry."**

"**Make Dudley get it."**

"**Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

"I'll poke it right up your ar—" snapped Bea but Salazar cut her off with a stern glare.

"A proper lady does not curse." Scolded Salazar. Bea pouted.

"What are you talking about? There's a lady near us besides Professor Helga, Professor Rowena and a bit of Granger?" Theo looked around with a bored look.

"Yeah, we don't know the lady you're talking about." Blaise smirked. "The only thing beside us is a monster whose ladylike tendencies are as much as the ladylike tendencies of a flobberworm if not lower."

"Oi!" Bea glared at her two friends.

The Gryffindor Trio were laughing and snickering. Somehow, these three Slytherins reminds them of themselves but they also have their own distinction. While The Founders were watching the trio with amusement. These three has a mean streak of sarcasm and wit and it mostly appears when they're around each other or when they're facing their own dislikes to their faces.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and – **_**a letter for Harry.**_

"Your Hogwarts letter!" Blaise, Bea and Ron cheered while the others smiled at their antics.

"No, I just sent a letter to myself to stave off the boredom." Said Harry sarcastically.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. Who would? He had no friends, no other relatives – he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

**Mr. H. Potter  
The Cupboard under the Stairs  
4 Privet Drive  
Little Whinging  
Surrey**

"Wouldn't the school have read the address?" Hermione frowned in thought.

"Nope, Dad told me that the school uses Self Addressing Quills since it would take forever if they had to write everything by hand." Ron stated as he remembered that conversation with his Dad before he went to Hogwarts.

The Founders were quiet. They were thinking about how so much could have been avoided if the school only read the addresses. Abuse could have been prevented and Harry would have been out of that house sooner than expected and the Dursleys would have been served their rightful dish of justice.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

**Turning the envelop over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter **_**H**_**.**

"**Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"That's not even funny in the slightest bit." said Ron with disgust evident on his face.

"Dear Uncle's not really known for being funny." snorted Harry.

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

"**Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…"**

"I actually hoped she choked on that." Whispered Harry to his two closest friends.

"Can't really blame you for thinking that." Said Ron with sympathy. "From what I heard from your stories she's absolutely horrendous."

"Right, she was the one who insulted your parents right, Harry?" stiffly asked Hermione while Harry nodded to her question. "You're right. Shame she didn't choke on it."

"**Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

"Tattletale." Growled Godric.

Harry shrugged.

"Dudley always wanted to get what I have so it really didn't surprise me." Harry nonchalantly said. "What surprised me more was that he was actually paying attention to what I was doing."

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"That's rude!" snapped Helga.

"The more we read about them, the more I want to curse them." Murmured Salazar towards Godric and Rowena, both whom nodded in agreement to what he said.

"Surprised me that the boy actually managed to get out of that house with his moralities and kind personality intact." Said Rowena as she looked at Harry with a bit of respect.

"That just means he's stronger than what people seems to think of him." Said Godric softly.

"**That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"**Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

"Ew." Ron made a face.

"I don't think I'm going to want to eat porridge for weeks." Bea cringed when she read the book.

"And I believe that a lot of people would have been writing to Potter by that time." Drawled Theo as he made shapes in the air by using his fingers.

"Fan letters?" asked Harry nervously.

The people who grew up in the Magical world smirked at him.

"Of course, what else would you expect?" The four said in unison. Harry flinched and shook his head.

"Thank Merlin I didn't receive any of that…"

"**P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking voice.**

"Choke woman… choke!" Salazar darkly chuckled.

"Unfortunately, she didn't, sir." Bea grinned at Salazar who looked slightly disappointed.

"Would have been better." Said Salazar with a dark tone.

"**Vernon! Oh my goodness – Vernon!"**

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

All the teenagers except Harry winced when they heard and read that while the Founders were practically fuming.

"If I had done that I wouldn't be able to sit for a whole week… actually never mind, I wouldn't be able to sit straight for a whole MONTH!" Bea whined.

"I would have been dead." Ron shuddered as he remembered his mother.

"My ears and bum would be bruised forever." Blaise winced.

"Let's just say it wouldn't be… pleasant." Theo shivered.

"My Mom and Dad would have made it clear to me how disappointed they are of me." Hermione silently said.

Godric was growling at the book.

"That brat really has no respect even for his parents! He really NEEDS to have a smacking so that he'd learn at least a little discipline!" snarled Godric.

"I'd join you if you ever decide to teach that brat a lesson." Helga widely scowled and looked absolutely angry and much like a mother who had just been talked back to by her children.

"A little discipline from his ignorant and idiotic parents would have gone a long way too." Rowena's eyes were positively icy and those who looked at it thought that they would be frozen to death.

"What would be better is if someone actually notices and takes action when they see that his parents are not as responsible as parents should be." Growled Salazar.

"**I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

"**I want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"Which is correct." Hermione snapped at the book. "And what the Dursleys are doing is an invasion of privacy even if it is just a letter to the minor and dependent family member."

"**Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.**

"**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"That's not going to end well." Ron cowered. "Harry is really scary when he's angry."

"**Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.**

"**OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, **

"They could have gotten hurt!" Helga was outraged by the older male Dursley's actions.

"Something new for Dud but not really for me." Harry shrugged carelessly while the others looked at him in horror and sadness.

**slamming the kitchen door behind them. Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"Not a bad place to eavesdrop on. You could hear more than on the keyhole since the hole underneath the door is much wider and gives more space for sound to go through." Salazar nodded towards Harry who smirked at him in acknowledgement.

"Stop teaching the students how to eavesdrop, Sal!" Rowena sternly said while Salazar merely shrugged.

"**Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address – how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

"**Watching – spying – might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"The Magical world has more job that they should be doing rather than to watch your mundane lives." Theo sneered.

"Although if they did monitor their actions once in a while then maybe they would have known that the life in Dursleys isn't really as nice as it was said to be." Said Bea softly.

"**But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want –"**

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny back shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

"**No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…."**

Everyone raised an eyebrow at that.

"Wouldn't that mean that the person who sent the letter would be more suspicious that there's something going on?" asked Blaise while Harry looked at him.

"But if they said no then Hogwarts would have still sent someone to see the reason why the Dursleys rejected the offer to send me to the school." Explained Harry while the others looked at him in understanding.

"**But—"**

"**I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"**Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

"**No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly. **

"It had his cupboard on it." Godric growled. "There's no way that could be a mistake."

"**I have burned it."**

"The nerve! A Hogwarts Letter is incredibly an important part of a person's life!" Ron yelled.

"A Hogwarts letter is like the signal that the person is going to begin their own adventure called Life." Bea softly explained to Harry and Hermione who although knew that the Hogwarts letters are important but they never thought anyone could react like that. "It's like the symbol for the Magical World that the child is beginning to grow into an adult. And getting a letter means that your core is beginning to stabilize meaning, there would be less accidents and troubles with control with your magic when you come to Hogwarts."

"I see…" hummed Hermione as she finally understood the reason why most magical families really takes these letters seriously.

"That's interesting…" Harry murmured as he brought out a silver notebook and began to write something on it.

"**It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

"Something that should have hinted to someone who could have read the letter's address that not everything is fine and dandy in that darned house." Snarled Salazar while things were beginning to shake around the room due to his temper.

"Cool your temper, Sal." Godric patted his shoulder. "Wouldn't do us anything nice if you lost your temper in front of our students."

Salazar heard what his friend said and tried to control his temper by breathing in and out slowly and deeply. The pressure was getting released from his body and heart with each inhale and exhale until he has finally calmed down enough for everyone.

"My apologies for nearly losing myself." Sighed Salazar before he nodded towards Bea to continue reading.

"**SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling. He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"I hope it was." Sneered Blaise.

"**Er—yes, Harry—about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting big for it…**

"He's been big enough for it ever since he entered that bloody house you oversized walrus!" hissed Bea.

"Calm down Bea." Said Theo with a nonchalant look but only those who were observant could see the anger in his eyes. "Remember what your counselor said? Count one to ten so that you wouldn't lose your own temper."

"Those doesn't work most of the times." Bea wryly said.

**we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom."**

The room went silent and suddenly Hermione exploded.

"Second room? SECOND ROOM? You had to live in a cupboard while the bastard has a **second room**?" Hermione exploded and began to rant about how she's going to tell Sirius and the adults and make the Dursleys pay while she told the Weasley Twins and allow them full reign which Mrs. Weasely would most likely let go once she hear about how dreadful these people are.

"You know what, whether you like it or not, I'm going to tell my Grandpa about how these Dursleys are treating you, Harry." Growled Bea. "I'm sure he'll be able to help you somehow."

"How do you know that?" Harry sharply asked while Bea just shrugged and smirked at him secretively.

"You keep your own connections a secret while I keep mine." Said Bea casually.

Salazar looked like he wanted to say something but Helga had already held him back. She was not pleased (understatement of the year if there was any) about the new information they have learned but now is not the time for that. Perhaps later once they finished this chapter or before they go to bed.

"We really need to finish this chapter for now." Said Helga. "At the very least, it seems that the other teenagers are now calming down."

Bea patted her two friends on the back comfortingly while grinning sheepishly when Blaise asked her if she was alright. The two of them knew from the start about Bea's triggers and was worried that what was mentioned would trigger her or something. Bea merely waved it off saying that the words nor the situation doesn't really call for those memories to suddenly disturb everyone. Hermione and Ron were whispering to each other plans to make the Dursleys pay. Ron's normally deep, warm blue eyes were icy blue and there was deep, not so hidden hatred in there as he continues to think up of plans to humiliate the Dursleys. Hermione was whispering furiously to Ron who was listening silently while adding some comments here and there.

One would think that Hermione would be much more plausible to think up of plans but to be honest, in the trio Ron was actually their main strategist when it comes to fights or even some of their adventures. Not many people just notices that. Underneath that tactless mask that he has erected to defend himself and his family, there lies a fierce, sadistic lion that would be willing to play with his prey that decided to target the people and things that Ronald Weasley considers to be precious.

"**Why?" said Harry.**

"**Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things they wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. **

"What a spoiled brat." Ron gave a hollow laugh. "I guess it goes to show that many people like him would never know the value of something unless they lost it or learned it through a very painful lesson."

**It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage, which once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, **

"Air rifle?" Hermione's head snapped upwards at the mention of the item. "That's a dangerous thing to have for someone who does not know how to handle guns or weapons."

"Thankfully, one of our teachers saw it and was supposed to confiscate it but the principal due to the influence of my uncle did not take notice of it and was only allowed to ban Dudley from bringing the gun to school." Harry silently said.

"What's a gun?" Rowena asked Harry as she dug into her mind for the information that the ones who brought them into this room sent into her mind about the future of the world and some of its advanced technologies.

"A gun is more of a more lethal and painful Muggle way of the Killing Curse." Theo softly said. "It's actually like a cannon albeit a small and much more portable one."

"Muggles really created that?" Godric frowned. "That's not good… And if I know the magical world from the information we received, our world doesn't really have that much of a physical training anymore."

"They don't. In fact, we've gotten so lazy some of us can't be bothered to stand up to get something and instead uses our magic for it." Bea sadly said.

**which was up on the shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

"Because the book would bite you." Rowena sarcastically said.

"Well, in the Magical World some books do bite." Ron smirked.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't want him in there… I need that room… make him get out…"**

"Spoiled brat." The Founders growled.

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he's have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

"Hindsight's a bitch." Harry, Bea and Hermione said in unison.

"I could understand that." Blaise said with sympathy. "Any normal person who grew up with the Dursleys and abused by them would want to know what unnerved them so much."

"That would be called sadism on normal people but the Dursleys aren't so normal anyway." Ron smirked.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

Everyone in the room winced and looked at the book in disgust.

"Someone really has to show that brat that he can't get everything that he wants in life with that attitude." Growled Godric.

"I'd be willing to put him over my knee." Salazar snarled.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, **

"Bullshit!" Godric growled and not even Helga had the heart to reprimand him for his language because everyone in the room except Harry was already frustrated and angry at the Dursleys.

**made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive—"**

"An idiot that Walrus Junior is." Bea glared at the words. "A tattletale too. If he had done that to me I would most likely have exploded on him and showed him that my magic does not take to that action nicely."

Everyone in the room raised an eyebrow at that. Everyone knows that accidental magic already stops by the time you reach the age of eleven because by that time your magic would have most likely settled down.

"You still have accidental magic?" Harry asked Bea who nodded with a sheepish grin.

"It's most likely due to my lack of control of my temper. I have a sadistic tutor who often reprimands me for it. The prat would most likely be a part of Slytherin like me and he kept on badgering me to control my temper and that I need to stop rushing in recklessly." Bea grumbled. "But I'm really getting better. That's the reason why I have my counselor."

"That reminds me. Why would you have a counselor? I mean, doesn't that normally means that you must have problems?" Ron asked in sincere curiosity before inching back when Bea's two friends glared at him viciously.

Shockingly (or not judging by the fact that she seems to have warmed up to all of them), she merely shrugged and answered the question with a casual look.

"I do have problems. It's the reason why I have those triggers." Bea rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed look. "If you had seen me when I was a bit younger you would have seen that the moment that I had earlier was not even close to how dreadful I had been when I had just been in the first stages of recovery."

The whole room was silent a bit for the hint that Bea had given them. It was no doubt that there had been some sort of… traumatizing events back when Bea was younger. Actually, most of the teenagers here in the room has their own ghosts to face and conquer.. The Founders were not strangers to bullied and abused children. It looks like that both Blaise and Ron had a better childhood but they still had those looks in their eyes that they have seen something that no other normal children would have ever seen at that age.

Bea returned to reading the book with a solemn look on her face.

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

"Practicing Harry?" Ron asked Harry with an amused look.

Harry returned it with a grin.

"What can I say? At least I was prepared when we fought that troll." The Gryffindor trio chuckled while the others looked at them in shock, surprise and confusion.

"Troll?" Rowena asked curiously.

"Ah… You'll understand later on." Harry said with a mysterious smile. "It is a pretty large part of the reason why the three of us are so close."

"Wait a minute…" Blaise frowned.

"You're not saying that the troll you're mentioning about…" Theo raised an eyebrow.

"I can't wait to hear about that!" Bea excitedly said.

The Founders just looked at each other in confusion.

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"**Go to your cupboard—I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley—go—just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

"No offense Harry but… most of the plans that you make in advance really doesn't work." Hermione apologetically told Harry who shrugged.

"It's not that bad is it?" Harry asked Ron who grinned at him sheepishly.

"Well mate… Let's just say you should leave most of the advance strategies to us and we'll leave the spontaneous and adaptable planning to you." Ron patted Harry on the back. "Most of the plans that you make are terrible. A troll would have a better plan than the plan that you initially make."

"Oi!" Harry looked at his friends with a wounded look while Ron and Hermione shrugged in apology.

"Just like Bea." Theo wryly said.

"The moment she tries to make a plan we make a plan of our own in secret just so we don't hurt her feelings." Blaise sent Bea an apologetic smile while Bea pouted.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. **

"Well, that's not so bad." Salazar said.

"You'll see what we mean later on." Ron and Hermione said in unison.

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door—**

"**AAAAAARRRGH!"**

"What happened?" Everyone in the room had snapped out their wands forgetting the fact that they can't use magic in this room anyway.

"It was in the book." Bea raised an eyebrow at all of them while they stashed their wands back into their robes again with a sheepish look.

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat—something alive!**

"Don't tell me…" Helga's lips were twitching up into a devious smirk.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.**

"Normally I would be scolding you for doing that to your uncle but he deserves it!" Helga laughed along with most of the people in the room.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the front of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. **

"If somebody had yelled at me in that manner, especially if it was Dursleys' kind, then I would have probably ignored them or made them pay." Theo sneered.

**Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

"**I want—" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

Everyone in the room began to grit their teeth in anger at what Vernon had done.

"I seriously want to make him pay." Bea growled.

"To rip such an important letter in front of someone's eyes is unforgivable." Blaise murmured.

"That's it." Hermione's eyes flashed. "I am definitely going to ask the twins for their help."

"We won't mind helping you Hermione." Bea told Hermione who uncharacteristically smirked at the other female and showed her appreciation for her offered assistance.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

"**I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"I was surprised that Aunt Petunia actually showed great logic in there." Harry commented to the amusement of everyone.

"**Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,"**

"Thank Merlin for that." Salazar muttered.

**said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

"How would you nail something with a fruitcake?" Godric asked Harry who snorted.

"I wasn't surprised." Harry smirked. "Aunt Petunia's fruitcakes are absolutely good for using as hammers. The nail drove in easier than when someone was using a hammer."

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bedroom.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" **

"Tiptoe Through the Tulips?" Helga asked Harry who shrugged.

Suddenly, the room was filled with the tune of the song. Everyone looked around to find the source of the song to no avail. Hermione and Harry began to hum along the song and everyone enjoyed the sound for a while until it finished. The tune was still roaming inside their mind even as Bea continued the reading.

**as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

"Getting paranoid are we?" Salazar smirked while the other Founders snorted.

"Funny, you said that Sal." Godric dryly said.

"Nobody can be more paranoid than you." Helga smirked.

"You were the one who kept on badgering us to increase the wards and kept on double checking with us." Rowena chuckled as she remembered the time when they were just setting up the wards.

Salazar kept on muttering spells and set up complicated wards one after another until night time when he collapsed in magical exhaustion for casting spells nonstop the whole day. Helga kept him on bed rest for a whole week so that his magical core could restore themselves to its normal reserves. Even while on the bed he kept on asking Godric and the others to put up some other wards in his place which they set up just to pacify the most paranoid Founder.

"It was necessary for the safety of the students." Salazar defended himself.

Helga's eyes softened. One could say that despite the sarcastic and cold nature that mostly puts off others from Salazar. There was no mistake that among them all, the Slytherin Founder was the one who loved the school and its students the most. He was fiercely protective of them all to the point that he would do anything, even die which is something against his House's self-preservation motto, just so that Hogwarts and all its occupants are safe.

Death would be much blissful for those who decides to attack Hogwarts to get back at Slytherin or just for the mere sake of trying to get their magic.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

"Impressive." Rowena said with a look filled with respect and interest. "That must have taken a bit complex spellwork to achieve such effects."

"Professor McGonagall is very creative." Ron and Bea grinned. They looked at each other in surprise.

"So… how did you know it was Professor McGonagall?" Ron asked Bea.

"My guardians told me." She nonchalantly said. "How about you?"

"Mom told me about McGonagall and some of the stories where she had to get creative in terms of sending the letters." Ron enthusiastically said. "It was actually bloody awesome!"

He yelped in pain when Hermione smacked him at the back of his head with a stern look.

"Language, Ronald." Hermione snapped while Ron just pouted.

Helga looked at Harry who was watching the two with amusement and exasperation.

"Is this normal?" Harry and the Slytherin trio snorted.

"It's normal for us." Harry said. "Hermione and Ron are always bickering."

Salazar smirked and leaned on Godric who was watching the students with fondness.

"Reminds me of you and Row, Godric." Salazar casually said.

"Oi!" Godric glared at Salazar who smirked at him.

"**Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

"Well… His er… fans?" Bea interrupted herself while Harry looked at her in confusion. "It's just that… I overheard some of your fangirls…"

"And boys." Blaise added while Harry looked horrified and scarred at the new information.

"Yeah… They planned on cornering you one of these days in the hallways while Hermione and Ron were gone so… Yeah…" Bea looked awkward. "I'd advise you not to go out without your two friends."

Harry looked traumatized while his two friends consoled him. He knew that he has fangirls… and boys (not that he has anything against those who bat for the other team it's just awkward) but to corner him? Well… He really doesn't want to know what would happen to him if they did corner him.

"Or maybe we could just approach the Professors for help." Hermione suggested. "I'm sure they'll get them off your back."

"Hopefully." Harry shuddered.

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

"**No post on Sundays," **

"Why?" Blaise asked. "Why would there be no posts on Sunday?"

"In the Muggle world, people considers Sundays as rest days." Harry explained as the ones who didn't know nodded in understanding. "Sundays are also used mostly to spend time with their families and friends."

**he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today—"**

"Well, that would be true in the Muggle world but for the Magical World…" Everybody smirked

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one—**

"Why couldn't you just pick one on the ground?" Theo raised an eyebrow at Harry who grinned at him.

"Seeker instincts." The students snorted in amusement but their eyes filled with understanding.

"Seekers belong to a broomstick game called Quidditch right?" Rowena shuddered at the thought of playing games while flying in broomsticks. "Well, I suppose that since they have invented cushioning charms and safety precautions in the future for broomsticks that would be understandable."

"Quite an interesting game Quidditch is." Salazar's lips twitched upwards. "I would want to try it judging by the memories that the game comes with."

The Quidditch addicts beamed and were about to launch into a tirade about Quidditch being the very best and describing vividly the feeling of flying when Godric waved his hands frantically his face tinted in green.

"Don't talk about flying please." Godric groaned as he placed his head on his hands. The other Founders chuckled.

"Godric doesn't like broomsticks." Helga explained to the curious students.

"Prefers the ground to the skies that one." Salazar nodded to his friend while Godric continued to groan and moan sickly.

"**Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. **

"Why don't you go and get your head out of your ar—" Bea wasn't able to finish since Theo smacked her at the back of her head. "OW! Theo!"

"Stop spewing garbage." Theo said with a blank face. "Blaise has really corrupted you with his language."

"OI! Why do you always blame me? Why don't you blame that Spartan tutor of hers?" Blaise scowled along with Theo.

"Spartan tutor?" Salazar inquired.

Bea beamed brightly but suddenly deflated while looking around warily.

"He has that creepy ability to know when someone's talking about him badly." Bea whined softly before beginning to explain. "He's my tutor for years already but he's only older than me by one year. He doesn't go to Hogwarts, doesn't understand why, but most of the times he asks me to send the stupid homeworks to him so that he could make me revise it again and again."

The girl was now pouting and began to rant about how her tutor was evil much to everyone's amusement.

"He's so evil, a prat, the devil in flesh, cunning, manipulative, evil, sarcastic and he's such a Spartan!" Bea scowled. "He even made me rewrite three pages of work just because he didn't like it! In just a few hours! I had to sneak into the library at midnight to get most of my research!"

The students (except for Hermione, of course, even Theo doesn't like to do homeworks), Godric and Helga winced. They really didn't like writing much. It's a pain in the hands and for her tutor to do that to her, he's really evil. Rowena rolled her eyes while Salazar chuckled. Suddenly Bea smiled and she shrugged.

"But then again, he's just doing that to protect me. While he may enjoy making me suffer, making me suffer and to be able to make me learn how to protect myself is his biggest goal for now." Bea's eyes were bright with fondness. "Besides, he's my first friend, no matter how much he denies it, we somehow do care for each other."

"Nah, he's just a manipulative, sadistic prat." Blaise bluntly said.

"You two don't like him?" Blaise and Theo shrugged at Hermione's question.

"Don't like? Those three are always at each other's throats!" Bea exclaimed while glaring at her two friends who looked back at her unrepentantly. "They're always bickering and it always drives me up the wall!"

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

"**That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared to argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

"While I'm surprised that the fat whale finally reprimanded his son but hitting him round the head just for doing that?" Helga growled.

"That man really needs to learn his lessons." Godric glared at the book.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

"**Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"A man after your own heart Sal." Godric chortled before yelping when a bunch of pillows suddenly bombarded him by the smirking Salazar whose eyes were flashing.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

"Big deal! I can't play most of my videogames because I was in Hogwarts but do you see me complaining? Nope!" Bea rolled her eyes at the overdramatic Dudley.

"You play videogames?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at Bea who grinned at her.

"Theo and Blaise mostly comes to my house and spend the rest of the summer with me as we play our videogames after we do our homework of course." Bea hastily added when she saw the Founders looking at her with raised eyebrows. "My tutor wouldn't like it anyway if I did the Muggle trash first, in his own words."

Blaise snorted and chuckled while Theo's eyes flashed in laughter and he smirked.

"Is there an inside joke or something?" Ron stared at the other trio questioningly.

Bea snickered.

"Yeah… Well, he'd probably murder me if I told you guys so let's just continue the reading." Bea felt a chill run up her spine when she had planned to tell them about why they were laughing. She looked around one more time before resuming.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

"What that letter contains and what would happen on my first day at school." Harry told everyone.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

"'**Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

**Mr. H. Potter  
Room 17  
Railview Hotel  
Cokeworth**

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"**I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up and following her from the dining room.**

"Wouldn't she have asked?" Rowena frowned.

"Humans have the capability to blind themselves to the wrongs of the world so that their social standings won't lower down and they won't have to leave their comfort zone." Harry seriously said while everyone in the room silently agreed.

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" **

"Finally!" Ron rolled his eyes. "Someone who has the common sense in that family."

"Which wouldn't last long, I believe." Salazar dryly said.

**Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"**Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

"He's gone mad a long, long time ago." Bea said with her lips twitching.

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.**

"**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday—and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television—then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun—last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. **

"Those are NOT gifts!" Helga exclaimed.

"We are going to send you marvelous gifts your next birthday and we'll tell Moony and Snuffles too." Ron told Harry who made a face.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

"Always remain positive." Godric said. "After all, things can always get better."

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. **

Everyone in the room tensed.

"That's not good." Theo murmured.

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"**Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"Anything could have happened to you and his family! That was certainly not a safe place!" Hermione ranted.

"It's been done already 'Mione." Harry tiredly said.

"**Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

"I don't see any gentleman there except for Harry." Bea raised an eyebrow while Harry flushed at her words. "Don't worry Harry. I don't have a crush on you. You're too scrawny and little."

"Look who's talking." Harry raised an eyebrow at Bea who sulked.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm the shortest among you guys." She grumbled.

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"**I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

"Who controlled the boat?" Rowena asked Harry.

"At first it was me but we weren't really getting anywhere so Uncle finally rowed the boat himself." Harry said while nearly everyone in the group growled. "We nearly capsized too."

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. **

"Those aren't rations!" Ron whined.

"Figures you'd concentrate on the food part Ron." Harry smirked at Ron.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up.**

"Obviously." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Those weren't made with wood or paper!"

"**Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Unfortunately, he's right. No owl could be sent in that kind of weather." Salazar mused out loud. "How did you get your letter?"

"You'll know just in a bit." Harry answered mysteriously.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

The room was silent and Godric suddenly asked for a blanket. A thick, blue blanket with the designs of Snitches and broomsticks appeared on top of Harry.

"I'm not cold anymore." Harry looked at the founder of his House in amusement.

"Just humor me." Godric grumbled.

Godric was fiercely protective of his own lions. Those who tries to harm them would understand why he's one of the most powerful warriors and duelists in the whole world alongside the other founders.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

"Most likely still awaiting your reply." Blaise cheerfully said.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. **

Another blanket appeared and this time it was Slytherin green with the designs of snakes. Everyone looked at Salazar who shrugged at them.

"House pride. My apologies." Everyone chuckled in amusement while Harry just dragged his two other friends underneath the blanket.

**Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

"Good, you're making advance plans." Salazar smirked. "Just make a few backup plans just in case that won't work."

"I wouldn't need to go back to Privet Drive to get a letter of my own." Said Harry as he poked Ron at the side while Ron glowered at him.

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

"Your ears are really sharp." Rowena looked at Harry with a studying look.

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine—maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"Do it!" Bea and Blaise grinned.

—**three… two… one…**

Bea's voice began to go quieter and quieter so the others had to strain their ears to hear the words.

**BOOM.**

Everyone jumped when Bea suddenly yelled. They glared at the grinning girl while Salazar flicked her on the forehead making her yelp. She slapped a hand over the reddening spot and pouted at Salazar who smirked at him.

"Don't do that again, brat." Bea stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

"No!" Then she paused. "Wow… you really acted like my tutor when you did that. He also flicks my forehead whenever he felt like it."

"Oh really?" Salazar raised an eyebrow his eyes brimming with curiosity.

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

"Now who would that be?" Bea asked Harry who grinned at her.

"You'll know at the next chapter." Harry said in a singsong voice.

Blaise suddenly grabbed the book from Bea and opened it at the part where she had just stopped. Bea playfully glared at him but settled down beside Theo in a relaxed pose.

"You want to read Blaise?" Theo raised an eyebrow. "Now **that's** a surprise."

"I read too, damn it!" Blaise whined while Theo just smirked as the others watched their interaction in amusement. "Alright, let's go!"

He went to the next chapter and read the title.

**Chapter Four The Keeper of the Keys**

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A/N: FINALLY! I finished the chapter. It took me forever! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm going to get myself ready and write the next one hopefully faster than this one.

So what have we learned today?

- Bea has a spartan tutor  
- Godric doesn't like flying  
- Blaise can be an idiot  
- Ron's not just an idiot he's smarter than what he looks  
- The Gryffindor Trio has their own secrets just as the other groups have their own secrets  
- Bea has a counselor or psychiatrist if that helps

Well, you could just add to what you guys learned today. Because my hands are already cramping from typing far too long in one sitting.

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Ciao~

R&R


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